


The Thorn

by White_Noise



Category: Doctor Sleep (2019), Doctor Sleep - Stephen King, The Shining (1980), The Shining - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Post-Canon, Rape/Non-con Elements, Redrum, Stockholm Syndrome, seriously you have been warned, sorta - Freeform, will get DARK
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-01-30 09:04:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21425665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Noise/pseuds/White_Noise
Summary: Rose had lost her family because of him. So it was only fair that he give her a family back. After all, he was powerful. Dan Torrance had been creeping under her radar for too long. But like the thorn of a rose, he had dug into her now. Now she could see him. Now he would be hers.Dark Canon Divergence of the ending of the movie Doctor Sleep.
Relationships: Abra Stone & Dan "Danny" Torrance, Crow Daddy/Rose the Hat, Dan "Danny" Torrance & Jack Torrance, Dan Torrance/Rose the Hat, Rose the Hat & Dan Torrance
Comments: 35
Kudos: 210





	1. The Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ending is where we being, at the Outlook Hotel

“Dan!”

Kneeling in the boiler room of the Outlook Hotel, his body covered in his own blood, his energy sapped, the man known as Dan Torrance blinked as the spectra of his mother smiled and vanished from existence. He blinked again, willing the woman to return, to once again embrace him, to guide him to his sleep, as he had done for so many others. 

“No.” He muttered softly, reaching inside himself to try and draw Wendy Torrance back to him. 

“DAN!” 

The voice was louder now, easily heard over the roar of the fire which should have consumed him and this cursed hotel by now. Still kneeling on the floor, the axe which the nightmare spectra’s had forced him to wield like his father before him lying within his grasp, Dan tried to remember the voice through the fog that had consumed his mind.

After a moment, he remembered a girl, a girl with amazing abilities. He remembered being hunted both outside and inside his own mind, of the nightmares out in the world trying to hurt this girl for her power, of the nightmare of his own mind overruling him, taking control and forcing him to try and do the same. 

“Abra.” He found himself whispering. 

What was she still doing here? He had told her to run. 

The fire was hot against his arms now, creeping closer and closer, like long fingers reaching slowly towards him. He looked up.

In the corner of the room, a figure was standing. Not Abra. Not Wendy.

No, someone Dan knew, a figure who had shadowed him all his life. He looked into those familiar dark eyes. There was a sudden cool blast of air. Without looking, Dan knew that the fire blocking the door to the room had gone out, creating a safe passageway.

“Dan, get up!” Dan heard Abra shout as he continued to stare at the one figure he had both longed and feared to see. 

Not Lloyd the bartender. No. 

Jack Torrance. 

“Get up.” The voice came from both directions, Abra’s high pitched voice mixed with the deeper timber of Dan’s father, the last victim of the Overlook Hotel. 

A hand grabbed Dan’s arm, shaking him, willing him to get up. Dan could feel Abra’s Shining compelling him to try and stand, despite the pain and blood lose, despite the mental fatigue from the Overlooks Spectra’s. But he was too tired. His eyes started to close. 

“Get up Danny!” The deep voice snapped him out of his daze. Unconsciously, he stood, sagging slightly on his injured leg as Abra grabbed his side, trying to take his more substantial weight with her limited strength. He looked over at Jack Torrance once more. 

Slowly, the man smiled. Not the menacing smile which had been in Danny’s nightmares since leaving this place the first time, but his old smile, back before the Outlook, when he was sober and proud of his child. 

“Go.” Jack said before shimmering out of existence as one of the roof beams crashed down on him.  
Dazed, Dan looked down at Abra, the girl had grabbed his arm and had placed it over her shoulder. 

“Come on!” She shouted, stepping towards the door, miraculously devoid of the fire which had so recently covered the area. The heat in the room was increasing, Abra’s face drenched in sweat. 

With a grunt, Dan forced himself to walk with her, the pain in his leg almost unbearable. 

Dan didn’t remember much of the walk out of the Hotel, pain and blood lose leading to a hazy recollection, like a film on mute, which you are only half paying attention. 

The next clear sensation to hit him beside the pain was the biting cold of snow as suddenly, he was dropped face first onto the ground outside the burning building, Abra’s meagre strength giving out as she too crashed to the ground. 

A pair of hands rolled Dan over, Abra looming over him now. 

“You have to hold on.” Abra was saying. Her voice was coming in fainter now, as if from far away, shock, pain and blood lose finally doing their terrible work. 

There were shouts from somewhere and then a new figure approached, a young woman in a uniform. Abra disappeared from Dan’s view. He could hear her shouting, calling his name. 

Dan drifted as the woman before him tried to speak to him, as a dull pressure was applied to his injuries. Unflinchingly, Dan looked up at the dark sky. It was a clear night. Dan could see the very cosmos above him, opening up to welcome him. 

A voice in his head, clear as day suddenly spoke. It was a soft, kind voice, like the one he used when guiding the hospice patients to their rest. 

“It’s ok. You can sleep now.” It whispered. 

Dan felt a wave of comforting warmth wash over him as he closed his eyes and slept. 

\-----

Abra was acting on autopilot as she guided Dan, limping and barley conscious, out of the Hotel, her Shining working harder than it ever had to keep him on his feet and get him out of that hellhole.  
In the distance, she could both see and feel the police arriving, no doubt drawn by the fire. 

Behind her, the building cracked as beams gave way and part of the roof collapsed in on itself. 

Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over her and, no longer able to hold Dan’s weight, Abra dropped to the ground. There was a loud thud. Abra could not tell if it was the sound of her hitting the ground or Dan or more frighting, if it was all in her head. 

Rolling to her side, Abra scanned her honorary uncle. Dan was pale and looked close to death. So close that Abra had to feel his presence through their link to even tell that he was still alive. 

No. 

She had lost her dad. She would not lose Dan as well. 

Using the last of her strength, Abra tightened her hold on the connection between them, not caring that she was using up all her power to do so. She would not let Uncle Dan go. Not now. Not when they had won. 

While mentally engaged, Abra let her body go to auto pilot, pushing Dan into his back, her hands going to his bleeding thigh to apply pressure. Subconsciously, she knew he had bled a lot. Far too much, really. If it wasn’t for her commands keeping him here, he would be dead. 

He was in agony, Abra could feel it, and she did her best to mute the pain, to help him through it but she was tired. 

“You have to hold on.” She urged, gritting her teeth as a fresh wave of pain washer over her. 

Behind her, she could hear the sound of vehicles stopping, of many people getting out and shouting to each other. She ignored them, holding Dan’s gaze as she tried to slow the blood lose. 

Someone approached her, a friendly apparition. Slowly, Abra looked up, on guard. It was a female in a paramedics uniform. She smiled at Abra as she placed a bag down. 

“It’s alright. We’re here to help.” The woman said. Abra felt the words inside her head, even as the woman said them. The woman had it too, the Shining. 

“I know.” Abra said back in the women’s head, trying to let her know she was with friends. The woman hesitated for a second, clearly stunned by Abra’s words inside her head before she pushed them aside and got to work, placing her hand over Abra’s on Dan’s leg and gently moving it so she could see the deep cut. Within moments, she was moving, dressing the wound and trying to stem the injury. 

“I need a stretcher here ASAP!” She shouted off into the distance, her eyes still fixed on Dan. 

A second hand grabbed Abra’s shoulder. This one, a not so kind presence. The sudden shock knocked her from her concentration, breaking her connection with Dan.

For a second, Abra feared it was a spectra from the hotel, somehow come to try and finish them all off. She turned and tried to lash out as the strong arm 

“Step away girl.” The voice grunted. “They need room to save him.”

Abra swung around, her fists hitting a solid chest of the police officer who had dragged her to her feet.  
“No!” She shouted. She needed to stay with Dan, needed to keep him alive until he was safe. 

She started to struggle as another officer rushed forward to help his colleague, the two pulling her back. She tried to reach into herself for her Shining, to make the officers obey her but she had so little energy left to do so and the men were strong. 

Faintly, over the rushing sound in her ears, she could hear them trying to talk with her but she didn’t care, couldn’t listen. Dan needed her. 

“No!” She screamed again as she was dragged further and further away from the man who had protected and trained her. “Dan!”

\-----

The air was hot, thick black smoke spilling from the decayed wood as the building crumbled around the woman as slowly, painfully, she dragged herself out. Behind her, a thick trail of smoke, no…. steam wafted up to the ceiling, like a ghost leaving her body behind. 

Groaning, she pushed herself the last few feet, sliding out the open door she had found and into the freezing snow outside the burning structure. Shuddering, she rolled onto her back, opening her eyes which glowed an eerie blue in the dim light. Then she gasped, arching her back as the steam above her floated back down into her open mouth. Her eyes flashed, the eerie glow growing brighter like a dim light gaining more power. 

She dropped back down into the snow, her bare head hitting a patch of soft ice, her eyes closing.  
After a few moments which could have been hours for all she cared, the woman became aware of a person drawing near. A voice reached her hearing. 

“Ma’am?” The voice asked. 

Opening her eyes, the woman looked up at the police officer who had come to kneel by her side. He was young. Foolish in his own way. Not much steam but he would have to do. 

Foolishly, the young officer reached down and touched her shoulder. Quick as a snake lashing out with venomous fangs, she grabbed his arm in one hand, her other coming to rest at the back of his head, drawing him near and forcing him to look into her glowing blue eyes.

The officers face filled with fear as the woman opened her mouth, her grip tightening as she pulled the thin vapour from him. 

After a few seconds of struggle, the vapour began pouring off the officer and into the woman’s mouth as she gaped hungrily for it, feasting on his essence.

The man’s struggles continued, growing weaker and weaker even as the woman’s grip on him grew stronger and stronger. 

Finally, the officer slumped forward, his heavy body falling onto that of the woman’s, forcing a grunt out of her. 

Huffing, the woman pushed the body off her and sat up, looking around at the fire before her. Somehow, she had managed to drag herself away from those blasted spectra’s and get to the rear of the building. 

Slowly, she reached up to the back of her head where her hat normally sat, as if trying to adjust its position. Her fingers brushed air. Dropping her hand, the woman growled in frustration. 

With a bit of effort, the woman rose to her feet, her customary bracelets, necklaces and jewellery jingling faintly as she moved. 

She scanned her surroundings. On one side, snow and forest, on the other, a burning building. Then, in her peripheries, she noted flashing lights. Curious, she turned and made her way around the building, only stopping when she located the source of those lights. 

Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances stood stationary in the yard beside her own vehicle and the one that brat and her friend had used. 

Keeping her distance, the woman watched as police, fire fighters and medics moved around in a coordinated dance. 

The fire fighters had long since given up trying to save the building and were standing back, watching it burn. The police were fairing little better. Not having noticed their missing colleague, they were trying to restrain a young girl. 

The woman growled as she recognised the young girl, the brat who had taken her family. Why hadn’t the stupid bitch just accepted her fate, instead of trying to fight?

None of this would have happened if she hadn’t tried to avoid her fate. 

The girl was screaming, kicking and fighting the police. She was powerful, the child but young. She did not take Steam like the woman and therefore her powers had to be replenished by rest. Rest which she had not had. 

Had the girl been at her full strength, the woman had no doubt, the police would be on their knees before her, bend to her wishes. 

It would be so easy now, to walk over, take down the police and claim the girls steam for her own. Leave the little bitch to rot. The woman took a step forward, intend on doing just that, when she stopped. 

Several medics were a few meters from the building, raising a stretcher. The woman caught a glimpse of short, copper brown hair of the occupant of the stretcher as the medics began manoeuvring it hurriedly towards the waiting ambulance. 

She hesitated as she recognised the man on the stretcher. Dan, his name was. 

Full of Steam, much more then most his age. And oh so pure, not tainted like most adults. And such an interesting mind. The woman had to admit, when she had first saw the man, she thought he had been little more than a puppet, a controlled pawn the girl planned to sacrifice for her own survival. But no, the man was something else. 

Rarely did someone with that level of power survive to adulthood. The woman and her friends should have found him first. Or, given the glimpse inside his head, those ‘Spectra’s’ he kept locked up there should have long since eaten him whole. But they didn’t. He had endured, his power barely even eroding over time. 

What a gift he was. 

The woman hadn’t gotten much of a look while inside his head, too busy with the girl, but what she had seen had impressed her greatly. Where she had a Cathedral, he had a Maze. And how she longed to explore that maze, the map it out and bend it to her will. Even the dark corners he tried to keep hidden, where he had kept the spectra’s. 

And she would. 

A plan started to form in her mind. Smiling, she woman stepped back into the snow, her eyes glowing again as the white dunes surrounded her. The last visible part of her, her glowing blue eyes.


	2. The Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abra has to spin a tale to the police about her kidnapping. But doing so may have left Dan helpless and hunted.

“Can you tell me what happened to you these past few days?” The Police officer asked Abra. This time she was female, with a kind face but no particular Shine to her. 

It had been a long and emotional few days for the young girl as she had been brought back home to the crying arms of her mother. Lucy Stone was distraught over the loss of her husband and daughter and had held Abra tight as they were re-united, sobbing into the girl’s hair. 

Abra herself, overwhelmed with her mother’s emotions and the stress of the past few days, had barely held it together all together, the pain of her dad’s death at Crow Daddy’s hands, Rose’s attack, Dan’s injuries and the Outlooks apparitions all draining her to the point of collapse. 

Now both sat in the small office of the police station as the kindly officer spoke, trying gently to prise the answers from her. 

Abra sighed inwardly. She was so tired. Once she had been wrestled into the police car, driving away from the Outlook Hotel, she had allowed herself to briefly nap which had helped some but she was still drained from everything that had happened. 

“Where’s Dan?” She asked the officer. “Is he ok?”

The officers face froze briefly and for a second, Abra could see her thoughts. Of Dan being taken to a hospital with the Shining Paramedic, of him being taken to emergency surgery, of him sleeping in the hospital bed, handcuffs holding his wrists to the metal railing of the bed as drugs kept him unconscious and unaware, police standing guard over him. 

Abra blinked as she realised what the woman’s thoughts meant. They thought Dan had killed her father and had abducted her. They were going to blame him when all he had tried to do was help. Beside her, Lucy’s grip on her hand tightened slightly. Lucy too, thought the worst of Dan.

The policewomen’s face shifted slightly to that calm, caring look as she softly smiled at Abra. 

“Everything is fine.” She said softly. “Can you tell me who Dan is?”

“He’s my friend.” Abra stated, trying to put her feelings of love for her long time friend into her voice. “When the man took me, he came and saved me, helped me get free.”

“What man?” Lucy asked, looking at her daughter, curious and terrified. 

“The Crow. The man who killed dad.” Abra said. She couldn’t stop the sadness in her voice. Her dad had died trying to protect her. 

The policewoman pulled out a picture from a folder in her hands. It was a still from the security cameras the Stone family had installed at their house years ago. Abra looked at it.  
It showed, in black and white, Crow Daddy leaving their house, Abra’s body slung over his shoulder. 

“Is this the Crow?” She asked. 

Abra nodded. 

“And where is he?” The woman insisted. 

Abra hesitated. Briefly, she thought about telling the woman that Crow Daddy was dead, killed in the car crash but then she thought against it. When he had died, Abra had seen his body disintegrate into Steam. There would be no body to find, no proof he was gone. And that would make her story less believable. And if she was less believable, they would suspect Dan. They would lock him up. 

Quickly, Abra shrugged. 

“I don’t know. He crashed the car and I ran away.” She said. 

“And then what happened?” The woman pressed. 

“Then I called Dan to come get me.” Abra stated. 

“Baby, why didn’t you call me?” Lucy suddenly asked, placing her free hand on Abra’s shoulder. Abra turned to her mother and could see her eyes filling with tears. 

Abra didn’t know how to respond. How could she explain to her mother that she could not protect her, that only Dan, a stranger to her, could save them. 

“Who is Dan to you, Abra? How do you know him?” The Policewoman suddenly asked. 

Abra held her mothers gaze for a long moment, looking deep into those tearful, loving eyes, so familiar and trusting, so like Dan’s. She knew that she now needed to lie, for Dan’s sake and for her own. She needed to lie to her mother and to the police officer. She needed her mother to keep silent on the lie she was about to hear. Pulling what little Shine she still had, Abra silently commanded her mother not to speak, to believe her story. 

She turned back to the officer. 

“I volunteer at a Hospice in Frazier, reading to the patients. Dan works there and helps me when I get scared.” She said. Beside her, Abra could feel her mother’s confusion, picking up the lie, but Abra held on, keeping her mother quiet. 

The police officer nodded. 

“So why call him? Why not call your mom or the police?” 

“Because I trust him.” Abra stated, putting her feelings into her words.

The policewoman nodded after a minute, Abra’s suggestion stopping her from questioning this further. 

“Ok. And he took you to Colorado? Why?” She asked. 

“He thought it would be safe. Those people, the man who took me and his friends, they still wanted me.”

The policewoman’s brows shot up.

“And why did they want you?” She asked. 

Abra shrugged. 

“Because they did. Because they like hurting children.” Abra could see the woman starting to connect the dots. Carefully, she pushed a few images into the women’s mind of Baseball Boy. Hopefully, the woman would follow the trail, would find him and bring him home to his parents. 

The woman blinked, taken aback by the images. Abra had had enough. She stared straight into the policewomen’s eyes. 

“You have heard enough.” She said, putting her energy behind the words. “You are going to let Dan go. You know he is innocent.”

The woman froze for a moment before coming back to herself. She looked down, shuffling a few papers before looking up. 

“I think I have enough here.” She said, smiling at Abra before turning to Lucy. “Mrs Stone, I am truly sorry for your lose. Rest assured, we will do all we can to find the man who killed your husband and took your daughter.”

“And Dan?” Abra asked.

The policewoman smiled again. 

“When he wakes up, we will ask him a few questions about what happened, to corroborate your story. But he is not a suspect. He’s a hero. A brave man, your friend.”

\-----

The sterilized white halls were deserted as Rose O’Hara walked down them; her hands spread in front of her as she felt the life swirling around her. 

Hospitals were strange places. So full of life and death, so full of Steam. But not the Steam Rose would collect. No, this Steam was sick, tainted, disgusting. 

It wasn’t what she was after. 

Now that she knew, she was kicking herself for not seeing it before. Like the little bitch, the man glowed, almost too bright to look at. How he had slipped through her fingers for so long, she did not know. But she would rectify that mistake. 

She could feel him now, like a siren’s song, drawing her to him. 

Turning down a hall, Rose’s eyes fell on the police officer, asleep on a chair in front of a room. She smiled slightly. 

As she reached the sleeping man, she could hear voices, tinny and distant, a TV show playing on the police officers’ phone. 

_‘In other news, still no words of the whereabouts of comedian Richie Tozier who disappeared this week after apparently suffering a mental breakdown mid-show while in Chicago. Rumours abound that the famous comedian known on the circuit as Trashmouth, collapsed onstage due to drugs or alcohol and has since been admitted to rehab. Reps for Tozier have so far refused to comment on the whereabouts of the comedian.’ _

Turning to the door the officer guarded, she reached forward and pushed it open. 

“Well….hi there.” She muttered as she stepped over the threshold, her eyes glued to the figure on the bed. 

He was asleep, kept in the land of dreams by the drugs coursing through his system, blocking him from his abilities, keeping him a slave to his body. So weak, so vulnerable. 

Walking to the foot of the bed, she snatched up the chart hooked to the edge, glancing at it. 

_‘Daniel Anthony Torrance’_ She read. 

Dan.

Danny. 

Little Danny, so alone, so afraid, desperately hiding himself from the big bad world. She smiled, placing the chart down on the table next to the bed before stepping around to the side to stand over the sleeping man. Leaning down, she drew a long breath, the taste of him filling her mouth. A small amount of Steam was coming off him, produced by the pain he was in, even in his unconscious state. It was so tasty, almost intoxicating in its flavour. 

A flash of metal caught her eyes. Looking down, Rose spotted the metal handcuffs on Dan’s wrists, holding him prisoner. This was almost too easy. 

It would be so easy to drain him right here, to reach down to his leg and dig her thumb into the injury, to open the wound again with her bare hands to force the Steam out. But that was not why she was here. 

No….

She was here for another reason. Rose had lost her family because of him. So it was only fair that he give her a family back. After all, he was powerful. Dan Torrance had been creeping under her radar for too long. But like a thorn of a rose, he had hooked into her now. Now she could see him. Now he would be hers. Her thorn. 

Reaching up, Rose placed her hand on Dan's forehead, reaching into the Maze of his mind. 

The Maze was as she remembered it, crisp white snow crunching underfoot. For a moment, Rose closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind, searching. 

“Where are you?” She whispered. 

Eyes still closed, she stepped forward, letting her feelings guide her through the hedges and snow. 

“Danny! Come out, come out, wherever you are.” She said in a singsong voice, her words carrying in the gloom. 

A soft noise behind her made her turn, her ears straining to hear. 

The maze was empty but she could feel eyes on her, watching her. 

Something brushed against her back. Fighting her instincts, Rose kept her eyes closed. 

“You can't hide from me Danny.” She whispered. 

A shove to her back almost pushed her forward, Rose only just catching herself in time. Rose smiled to herself. 

Instead of moving, Rose stopped, holding out her hands. She slowed her breathing. 

There was another noise. Rose’s hand lashed out, catching the course wool of a sleeve, gripping it tight. 

She opened her eyes, looking down at her captive. It was a little boy, with copper brown hair and wide, terrified eyes. He was maybe 5 or 6 years old and wearing a blue woollen sweater with a rocket ship on it. She smiled, a sharp, predatory smile.

“Well… Hi there Danny.” She greeted. 

The little boy started trashing in her grip, like they all did, his mouth open in a noiseless scream. 

Ignoring the fight, she reached up, her free hand brushing the boys cheek before she placed it on his forehead. She closed her eyes and mentally, she pushed. 

There was a jarring jolt, her body jerking as she opened her eyes. She was out of the maze, back in the hospital room. Looking down, her eyes met the ones of the figure in the bed. The eyes were wide, terrified. Somewhere below the eyes, she could hear the sound of metal on metal as the figure fought his restraints. She ignored it, smile crossing her face. 

He could not hide from her anymore. It was time. 

“Hello My Thorn.” She greeted as Dan Torrance looked at her in fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, second chapter up. Guess I still have drive to write this story. Hopefully I can keep it up for more. 
> 
> What can I say, I really enjoyed this story but was a little unsatisfied that there wasn't more to the confrontation between Dan and Rose so now I am writing them interacting more. 
> 
> Also yes, I had to throw in a little bit from IT 2. Because I love that movie so much and they are the same universe. I don't have any plans to bringing in any characters from IT or other Stephen King works but I will hopefully put in more references in the future.


	3. The Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan's Turning
> 
> Warning - Violence and mention of Non-Con in this chapter. Rose the Hat is a sexual predator in the book and in this chapter, she is contemplating raping Dan. The Turning is a very violent process as well. If you are uncomfortable by this, please skip the 3rd section.

The bed was hard, not like her soft mattress back home. 

On it, Abra sat, cross-legged as she stared at the cream coloured wall, her back pressed against the headboard. 

She and her mother were in a small apartment in Colorado, not too far from where police had found her and Dan. 

After leaving the police station, she had finally opened up to her mom about what had really happened after she had been kidnapped. Her mom had been sceptical at first, despite knowing there was something slightly magical about her daughter. It had finally taken her projecting the memories into her mother’s mind before Lucy Stone believed her. 

The stress had caused both to break down, morning the man they had lost and the fear and pain both had been through. 

Finally, once the tears had dried, the two had sat down and had a discussion. 

Lucy was struggling with her emotions which were a whirlwind in her mind, the wounds still too fresh from her husband’s demise, as well as upset that Abra had been talking to Dan, a man she didn’t know, for years but at the same time, she was thankful that her daughter had someone to turn to. 

After seeing her daughter’s memories of the man, she felt protective of him too, like a long-lost brother or an old friend she hadn’t seen in ages but had always been there. She was also relieved that, despite what the police thought, her husband’s murderer and daughters’ kidnappers were gone. 

Now, it was late and Abra had been sent to bed to rest. Lucy had promised her daughter that they would call the hospital in the morning to see if Dan was awake. Once he was awake and released from Police custody, the woman wanted to meet him and thank him for protecting her daughter. 

And so Abra sat in the clean, bare room, staring at the walls as her mind raced. 

Despite everything the police and her mom had said, she found that she was still worried. She hadn’t seen Dan since she had been wrestled into the police car, Dan carried into the ambulance, and if it wasn’t for the faint connection to him, so familiar from years of being in each other’s heads, she knew she would be fearing the worst. 

As it was, she was desperate to see him, to try and comfort him. 

Despite the fatigue, Abra closed her eyes and concentrated. 

When she opened them, she was in a white hallway, dimly lit. A soft mew drew her gaze downward to a fluffy white cat. It was sitting by her feet, its yellow eyes looking up at her.  
She smiled down at it. She knew all about the cat from her connection with Dan.

“Hi Azzie.” She said, reaching down to the creature which pressed its head into her hand affectionately, purring.

Then Azzie turned, tail in the air as she trotted off down the hallway. Smiling, Abra followed the cat. 

It was quiet in the hospital, time seeming to stand still as Abra glided through, her feet not touching the ground, Azzie trotting in front of her, guiding her.

A few twists and turns before the cat froze at the entrance to a hallway. 

Peeking around the corner, Abra peered into the gloom. 

There was a police officer seated in a chair in front of a closed door. From where Abra stood, it looked like the officer was in a deep sleep, chin resting against his chest, arms crossed, his cell phone resting on his lap. 

Silently, Abra left herself float near to the door. As she reached it, she realised her white shadow was no longer by her side. She turned. 

Azzie was still standing at the entrance to the hallway, tail fluffed up, yellow eyes slits in the gloom. The cat was tense and as Abra listened, growling softly. 

“Azzie.” Abra called, trying to get the cat to come closer. The cat hissed, back arching up. 

Blinking in surprise, Abra dropped her hand. She turned back to look at the door. 

Suddenly, she felt cold dread in the pit of her stomach. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached towards the door handle. 

It opened before she could touch it, the door silently opening. 

The first thing she saw was Dan, lying on his back on the hospital bed. There were machines surrounding him, beeping softly and casting a faint glow, washing his pale skin in light. His eyes were closed, seemingly in a peaceful sleep.

Suddenly a shadow stepped out from behind a machine, dark hands reaching to Dan’s face and tilting it upwards. 

Dan’s eyes shot open, his mouth opening in a silent scream as his back suddenly arched in pain. A white smoke drifted from the black figure above his head, slowly floating into his mouth and down his throat. 

Dan was trashing now in the figures grip, fighting to get away but the figure held him down, forcing more of the smoke out into his open mouth. 

Abra stood frozen, unable to move, to look away from the terrible sight before her. 

Suddenly, Dan’s arms and legs started to evaporate, as if made of smoke before reforming, Dan grunting in pain as his limbs solidified, the smoke suddenly sucked back into him.  
Abra couldn’t stop the whimper as she remembered Crow Daddy writhing in pain as his body evaporated into smoke, the same as Dan’s was doing now. 

The dark figure looked up, glowing blue eyes fixing on Abra. 

And Abra recognised her. 

Rose the Hat. 

She smiled at Abra, a nasty, evil smile. 

Abra saw her grip on Dans head tighten as once again, his skin seemed to evaporate before reforming. Abra could hear Dan gasping for breath, trying to fight his way out of Rose’s grasp. 

Still frozen in place, Abra found her own breaths coming in pained gasps as she trying to understand the horror before her. She opened her mouth to scream.

Suddenly, Rose was standing before her, one finger raised to her lips, her blue eyes glowing menacingly. 

“Shhhh!” She whispered, still smiling. 

The finger left her mouth, moving towards Abra’s face. 

“Tsk, tsk.” She muttered as behind her on the bed, Dan violently shook as if having a seizure. His pained gasps where growing louder now as smoke poured off his body. 

“It’s rude to interrupt the adults, young lady.” Rose added.

Reaching forward, Rose touched the tip of Abra’s nose. 

Suddenly, violently, Abra was thrown backwards, just as Dan finally screamed. 

\------

Abra felt her back collide with the hard mattress of the bed, her own scream torn from her throat as she landed heavily on the bed. She continued to scream, tears trickling down her face as she heard her mom shout her name. 

Suddenly, her door flew open, Lucy running into the room and grabbing at her daughter. 

Abra thrashed about on the bed. She could still feel Rose’s touch on her nose, still hear Dan’s screams. 

“Abra! Abra!” Her mom shouted, holding into both her shoulders. Finally, Abra’s scream turned to a whimper as her mother pulled her forward, burying her face in the curve of her neck. Abra clung to her mother, gasping for breath. 

“What happened?” Her mother was asking over and over. “Please tell me what happened.” 

“Dan.” Abra gasped out, just loud enough to hear. Lucy drew back, looking at her daughter. 

“What?” She asked, looking alarmed. 

“She’s come for him. She’s hurting him.” Abra whimpered, barely able to get the words out. 

“Who?” Lucy asked, but Abra could see that she already knew.

“Rose the Hat.”

\------

The little bitch was gone, pushed out with extreme force. 

Rose hoped it hurt. 

Smiling to herself, Rose turned back to the thrashing figure on the bed. It had taken some effort to make Dan Torrance breath in the Stream. He was a fighter, trying to stop the inevitable. Rose loved it when they were. 

But unlike most of her family, she hadn’t bothered trying to lull him into a false sense of security. No, she wanted him to know it would hurt, wanted him to feel every second of pain as his body disintegrated and rebuilt itself. Bettered itself. Awoke the hunger.

Dan had fought her. Of course, he had. He was strong, her Thorn. With a mind of his own, running on a different path from hers. But that would be rectified.

Her blue eyes scanned the man thrashing on the bed. He was a looker, no doubt about that. Even in the midst of the Turning, he was handsome. He would be spectacular when finished. Because he was going to be finished.

He wasn’t going to Cycle Out. Not like weaker men did. Rose wasn’t certain he was even physically capable of Cycling Out. She had seen many do so, even ones she thought were perfect for the True Knot. 

Their souls just couldn’t take it. But Dan….oh yes, he was a strong one. Too strong to be snuffed out in his prime. 

And boy what that would be, when he reached it. 

Rose looked forward to when he was in her bed, writhing under her, not just from the Steam. It was her habit with everyone who survived the Turning and joined the family. Cementing her dominance over them. Cementing their places as hers, her property. None of them were her Crow Daddy, her love. Most of them weren't even on her radar except for the power she exerted over them when she fucked them. But he was gone now. Now, there was just her and The Thorn. Her sharp, beautiful Thorn.

A wave of desire washed over her as on the bed, Dan surged up, the handcuffs the only thing keeping him anchored to the metal frame. She could see the metal biting into him, the pain adding to the Steam rising from him. Biting her bottom lip, Rose approached the struggling man.

Even from a distance, she could see the faint glow in his eyes, growing stronger and stronger as the Steam bound him to her. She could feel him now, every inch of him covered in her Steam, joining them for an eternity. 

Climbing up onto the bed, Rose ignored the sound of protesting metal or Dan’s harsh gasps for air. Instead, she straddled his chest, using her weight to pin him down against the mattress. 

She could feel the heat of him against her legs, his body temperature rising with pain. 

There was a gasp and Rose felt his chest collapse in on itself. She felt her body drop for a moment before Dan’s chest reformed, rising her up again as he gasped for air. It was an exhilarating ride. 

Another wave of desire coursed through her, forcing a groan out of her throat.

Reaching down, she grabbed both his shoulders, pushing her weight across his body so she could lean down, looming over him. 

He was staring, unseeing in the distance, his mind engulfed in the Turning. The blue glow was there, the symbol of her kind, of their kind. He was still writhing but it was slower, weaker. Steam flowing off his body but it not breaking down. It was almost done now. 

“You’re not going to Cycle Out, are you? My clever boy.” Rose whispered. 

Dan gasped again, fighting for breath. His eyes were looking around wildly, into a world few ever saw. 

“No. You are not.” Rose muttered, lowering her face to be closer to his. “Because if you do, if you stop fighting, then I will have to find someone else to play with. Your little friend maybe? She owes me after that stunt you both pulled.”

Under her, Dan shuddered. She wasn’t sure if, somewhere in the depths of his mind, he was aware of what she was saying, aware of the price if he stopped fighting. 

“Oh, I will hurt you for that. Make you scream. But her… You will stop feeling pain. Eventually, when I say so. But her, she will live it forever. I will make sure of that. So no, you won’t stop fighting. You will never stop. My little Thorn.”

She lent down further, pressing her lips to his lax mouth. 

The taste of him was intoxicating. His pain, his Steam. She would not tire of him for a long time. 

Dan gave a final whimper against her mouth, a small wisp of Steam rising from him before his body went lax. 

Reluctantly, Rose pushed away, rising to her full height to look down on the man under her. His eyes were half closed now, his body relaxed. The glow of his eyes lit up the dim. 

As she had guessed, he was marvellous. Blue eyes contrasting with his copper hair and pale skin. His strong frame made even stronger by his Turning. 

She could feel him now, different from when he was human but still so strong, so pure. 

Reaching up, she ran a hand affectionately through his hair. He let out a soft whimper at the touch, his eyes still unseeing. 

“Shhh.” She muttered. “Sleep now. When you wake, it will be a whole new world.”

The suggestion on her voice worked on his weakened state, Dan slowly closing his eyes and slept. 

\-----

The car ride to the hospital had seemed to last forever, as Lucy and Abra drove desperately to Dan’s side, trying to get to him before it was too late. 

In her seat, Abra dug her hands into her thighs. Her mind was panicking, the image of Dan in agony cemented in her head, his scream still ringing in her ears. 

She had tried again to connect her mind to his, to find him. But instead of a clear signal in the radio of her mind, it was all static. She couldn’t hear him. In desperation, she even tried to find Rose the Hat. But the woman too, was gone. 

After what felt like forever, Lucy pulled her car around to the entrance of the hospital. Abra didn’t wait a second longer, throwing herself out of the vehicle, her feet slipping on the icy ground as she half ran, half fell towards the entrance. 

A nurse rose from the reception in alarm as Abra finally stumbled into the foyer. 

“What?” He asked, making to run to Abra but Abra got to him first, grabbing onto the desk to hold herself up. 

“Dan Torrance’s room.” She demanded, pushing her Shining into her voice. The nurse’s eyes snapped to the computer on his desk.

“I’m sorry. Visiting hours are between 9am and 5pm.” The nurse stated. 

“Which room!?” Abra demanded. The nurse turned to his computer and typed something on the keyboard. 

“Room 217.” He stated. 

Behind Abra, she could hear Lucy running into the reception, calling her name but Abra ignored it, running off towards the stairs. 

Climbing to the second floor, Abra ran through the winding halls, the same as her vision. Finally, she turned into the final corridor. 

The police officer sleeping on the chair suddenly jolted awake as Abra ran towards him. 

“What?” He asked as the sudden jolt caused his cell phone, still balanced on his lap, to fall to the ground. 

Abra ignored him, grabbing at the handle to room 217. 

“Hey! You can’t go in there.” The officer shouted grabbing at her shoulder as Abra pushed the door open. 

Her eyes fell on the bed in the middle of the room. The empty bed. 

Dan was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is more from the book then the movie now. The description of Dan's Turning was written after extensive reading of the novel and in particular, Andi's Turning scene. 
> 
> And yes, I used Room 217. No decomposing lady there this time, for those who caught it.


	4. The Spectra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abra was too late to save her uncle. Rose has taken Dan. But a new friend has arrived to help, one with a long history with Doc.

Rose had known, the moment her boy had closed his eyes, she needed to move fast. The little bitch girl may be gone but there was no guarantee she wouldn’t be back once she gathered her strength and Rose wanted to make sure her ‘Uncle Dan’ was somewhere she could not reach him. It would not do for her to get too close while he was in the transitioning stage. 

Once he was settled and in his place, yes, then Rose might let them meet. Yes, that would be fun. 

But until then, she had work to do. 

Striding into the corridor, Rose’s blue eyes landed on the cop sleeping in his chair, unaware that his charge was slipping out of his grasp. Thinking for a moment, Rose reached down to the officer’s belt, quickly locating a set of keys to the handcuffs. 

Once they were secured in her pocket, she turned around, ready to step back into the room when she paused. 

A janitor’s closet stood down the hall, the door slightly open. No doubt, the night orderly had just left for their rounds. Letting her curiosity lead her, Rose strode over and pushed the door fully open. 

Inside was the normal things, cleaning supplies, old trays, spare blankets and pillows. A pile of blue shirts caught her eyes. 

Rose pursed her lips before shrugging. It was probably a good idea. After all, it wouldn’t do to let her Thorn get too cold right now. She was his maker and had a responsibility to provide for him. 

Rummaging through the clothes, she located a clean medical shirt, holding it up for inspection. It looked roughly his size. She draped it over her arm before rummaging again, this time locating a pair of pants. 

Mission accomplished, she turned and strode back into Dan’s room, throwing the clothing on top of his chart before getting to work, stripping the blankets off him. She pulled out the handcuff key and released both his wrists from their bindings, slipping both handcuffs and keys into her pocket for later use. 

Next, she stripped him of the cheap hospital gown. 

She paused for a moment, eyes studying his body. The Turning was starting to take effect physically. Already the dark bruise on his face, caused at that cursed hotel when she had struck him with the back of the axe, was gone. A few grey hairs she had noticed the first time she had faced him were also gone, along with a few lines on his face. His muscles were filling out more too, the fat of middle age dissolving.

Her eyes roved over his form, inevitably drawn downwards. She couldn't stop the grin at what she saw. He was well equip, her boy. 

Oh yes, she was going to have a lot of fun with this one. 

Finally, reluctantly looking away, she turned to the table and scooped up the clothing. 

Dan was limp as she pulled the clothing over his unconscious form but Rose wasn’t bothered by it. Her kind were a lot stronger than any weak human. His weight was nothing. 

Once clothed, she reached up and grabbed at the collar of his shirt. With ease, she hefted the unconscious man over her shoulder before turning and leaving the room, her prize in her grasp. 

None of the staff working the night shift looked her way as she strode down the hall and into the lift, pressing the button which would sent it down to the ground floor. As she stepped into the lift, she paused as something caught her attention. The girl was here. 

Rose could feel her panic as the girl manipulated the receptionist into giving her the room number of her friend. Could feel the little brat running towards the stairs, not realising as she ran up them that she was literally letting her uncle slip through her grasp.

Rose grinned to herself as the lift door slip shut, just as the door to the stairs opened and the girl ran out, heading towards the previously occupied room. 

The lift travelled slowly downwards, only the faint, tuneless music filling the air. Absentmindedly, Rose tapped her foot in time to the tune. 

After a moment, the door opened and she strode out into the reception, towards the entrance. 

“Excuse me Miss.” A male voice called from the desk in the corner. 

“No!” Rose said forcefully, not bothering to look as the receptionist fell back into his chair in a faint. 

She stepped out into the cold, heading towards her truck. Opening the back, she carefully lay her burden inside, making sure he was lying comfortably on the backseat. 

“Oh my god! Is he ok?” A voice asked. 

Rose turned, surprised she hadn’t sensed anyone coming. A young woman was running towards her, a winter jacket thrown over her uniform. A paramedic. Probably just finished her shift.

That didn’t interest Rose. What interested her was the woman. She was a Steamer. Fairly young, maybe early 20s and fresh out of college. Still young enough that her taste wouldn’t be tainted too badly. 

Rose stepped back, eyeing the woman, little more than a girl as she pushed past to study Dan. 

She was young yes, probably with a family looking out for her. Friends she saw regularly. She would be missed quickly but that didn’t really matter. 

The canisters back home were almost empty now and Rose needed to resupply, to feed her Thorn and herself in the coming days. No point looking a gift horse in the mouth. 

Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she withdrew the syringe. She had brought it along as a precaution, in case anyone tried to stop her taking her boy. Now it looked like it would be useful after all. 

She flicked the cap off with her thumb as the paramedic scanned Dan before turning to face her. 

“What happened here?” The girl asked. 

Lashing out, Rose grabbed the side of the girl’s neck with one hand, burying the needle into flesh with the other. She pushed down on the plunger, forcing the sedative into the girl’s system. 

The girl grabbed at Rose’s hands, trying to push them away, surprise crossing her face before it was replaced by fear. 

She gasped wordlessly at Rose.

“Shhhh.” Rose muttered as the girl’s eyes started to close, her hands dropping, her body sagging. 

Pulling the needle free, Rose dropped it to the ground, grabbing the falling girl under her arms. With much less care then how she handled Dan, she dropped the girl to the floor of the truck and pushed the door closed. 

Then she made her way to the front of the vehicle, climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. The vehicle moved forward, coasting down the drive and out onto the open road, leaving the hospital behind. 

\----

Abra didn’t know how she made it outside, the scream tearing at her throat as she ran blindly from Dan’s hospital room. 

Finally, she stumbled, her knees hitting the solid snow drift. The scream could not be held back any longer, Abra releasing her hurt and anger into it. 

Dan was gone. Rose had taken him. She had hurt him and Abra couldn’t stop it. 

The scream faded into a dry sob, Abra coughing every time she drew a breath of frozen air. 

“Well now, that was quiet a sight.” A deep voice said. 

Abra looked up. There was a man standing beside her. He was African American, with high cheekbones and bald. He smiled, a friendly smile which reached his eyes. 

Abra froze. She may not know who he was but she knew what this man was. Mentally, she thought back to what Dan had told her to do in these circumstances. He said to imagine a box, a box with a lock. When it was time, open the box and put them in. Then lock the box and never open it again. For they would be waiting. And they would be hungry. 

“Oh there, little lady. I ain’t one of them.” The man said, raising his hands and stepping back. 

“Who are you?” Abra demanded wordlessly, projecting the words towards him, still trying to regain her breath as she mentally prepared the box. He seemed friendly but if the man tried anything, she would lock him away. 

The man smiled again. 

“You can call me Dick.” He replied in Abra’s head. “We have a friend in common. Dan Torrance.”

Abra gulped down some more freezing air, causing her to cough. 

“Uncle Dan’s gone.” She said out loud, her voice rough. 

The mans smile dropped. 

“I know. And that woman who got him, she’s a nasty piece of work.” He knelt down in the snow next to Abra, hands clenched together. “She will hurt him. For fun. But also to twist him, to bend him out of shape. That’s what creatures like her do. They break everything they touch.”

“I couldn’t save him.” Abra gasped. 

“No.” Dick agreed. “And that ain’t your fault. You did everything right. Not your fault it didn’t work. But now, you need to help him.”

“How?” Abra asked, looking up at Dick. He had drawn closer now, not afraid of Abra locking him away.

“That connection you got with him. It isn’t gone. It may be a little fuzzy right now but it’s still there.”

“How do you know?” Abra asked.

“You call Doc your Uncle right? I guess you could say, I was his.” The man smiled again. “Once upon a time, when he was just a boy, we shared a connection, same as you do. We shared our Shine.”

“At the Overlook Hotel.” Abra muttered. 

Dick’s smile dropped. 

“Yes.” He said. “The Overlook. I did everything I could to get him out of that place. To give him the chance to grow up.”

“And he did the same with me.” Abra muttered. 

“He fought off those nightmares to protect you. Even got himself possessed by the same thing which took his daddy. You saw it, didn’t you?”

Abra closed her eyes, remembering Dan’s twisted face, the evil looking through his eyes, the axe in his hands. It had been Dan's face. But it hadn't been Dan.

“You don’t know where you are standing.” Abra muttered to herself. The Outlook hadn’t known Dan. Not the way she did. It hadn't been able to beat him.

Dick nodded as if he had heard Abra. 

“Now you gotta use that Shining of yours to reach him.”

“Reach him?” Abra asked. She sat up slightly, thinking hard. “If I can reach him, I can track him. Like a GPS. I can find him.”

“Slow down there, Little miss.” Dick cautioned. 

“What?” Abra asked, feeling confused. 

“You can’t just run in there. That is what she would expect. No, Doc has gotta free himself.”

“I can’t just leave him there.” Abra almost shouted. 

“You won’t. Just cos you don’t go there in person, doesn’t mean you can’t help. Use those tricks of yours, little miss. Help Doc to find himself again. Help him come home.”

Wordlessly, Abra nodded. She understood what Dick was saying, even if she didn’t like it. 

“There is one more thing.” Dick said after a moment. 

“What?” Abra asked. 

“When you reach him, Doc ain’t gonna be how you remember. Can you accept him when he is no longer human? Can you accept him being like her? A monster.” Dick asked. 

Abra shrugged. 

“He’s still Uncle Dan.” She replied, determination in her voice. “He saved me. I have to help him, even if he is different now.”

Dick smiled again. 

“Ok then. Let’s get to work.”

\-----

The ghost of a hangover washed over Dan as he rolled over, groaning softly. Damn, he hadn’t felt like this in years. 8 years of sobriety and he falls off the wagon just like that. It much have been a bad one, he couldn’t even remember it. And yet, there was no headache. Just the uncomfortable fuzzy feeling like someone had cracked open his brain and filled it with wool. 

His whole body felt strange, not sore exactly but like his muscles had taken a serious workout. 

Through his closed eyelids, he could tell that it was daytime. He must not have closed the window when he stumbled home. When he got home……home. 

Images flashed through his mind, of Abra running for her life through the halls of the Overlook, of Billy lying on the ground, a bullet in his brain, of getting into a gunfight with those crazy cult members, the True Knot. Of finding the body of Abra’s Baseball boy, decomposed in the shallow grave. Of Dad, standing at the bar, telling him to take his medicine. Of Rose the Hat, shoving the blade of an axe into his thigh. Of the hospital, being trapped inside his body, glowing eyes enveloping into steam as it slid, burning, down his throat. Of feeling like he was dying…

Dan’s eyes shot open as he tried to jump up, his legs getting tangled in the blanket which had been draped over him. 

He fell back into the bed, still struggling with the blanket. The bed. Not his own bed which was a single bed, old and familiar. This one was larger, draped in scarlet blankets. Stopping his struggling, he blinked in the bright light, trying to orientate himself. 

He was in a large, open room. No, not a room. It looked like inside a caravan.

Detangling his arms from the blanket, Dan slowly pushed himself up, keeping his weight on his elbows, giving him a better view of the room. He felt…odd. 

Not sick exactly, but like he didn’t fit in his own skin. His head still felt fuzzy but as he blinked, it seemed to easy, making everything clearer. 

Dan looked down at himself. Someone had dressed him in a set of blue hospital scrubs. Not his own work clothes but a similar style, one he was familiar with. Funny, he didn’t remember wearing anything like this last time he was awake. Someone must have dressed him in them. But who?

Pushing himself into a seated position, Dan pulled the blanket aside, reaching down to feel at his thigh. He remembered the white hot pain of the axe hitting him, the horrible warm gush of blood. Of the agony as Rose had torn at the injury, torturing him. 

And yet, now he left nothing. No pain, no blood. 

There was something on his thigh, a bandage maybe. 

Grabbing the edge of the pants, he pulled them down enough to show a white bandage wrapped around the top of his thigh. Hooking his thumb into the top of the bandage, Dan pulled it down, bracing himself to witness a horrific injury. 

There was nothing. Not even a scar to suggest he had recently received a fatal injury. 

How? How could this be?

Another memory surfaced. Rose the Hat looming over him in his hospital bed, him too weak to fight her, her hands gripping his head, eyes glowing. She had done something to him. 

With a sudden, horrifying realisation, Dan knew where he was. 

The sound of footsteps caught Dan's attention, breaking him from his thoughts. Someone was walking towards the caravan. A soft, female voice was singing in the distance. 

Hurriedly, Dan pulled his pants back up to his hips and threw the blanket over himself, lying down and closing his eyes as the door to the caravan opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I managed to get Dick Hallorann sounding right. He has a slightly odd pattern of speech and is difficult to write. I know in the movie he said that Dan wouldn't see him again but he never mentioned that he wouldn't meet with other shiners.


	5. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Rose finally face each other as Dan struggles with his Turning. 
> 
> TW- Mild descriptions of violence at the start and Non Con at the end. Not graphic but there.

The girl’s screams were finally fading to a pitiful whimper as Rose closed the second canister. The Steamer had produced a lot in her agony and for the first time in a long time, Rose hadn’t had to share with anyone. Instead, she had allowed herself to gorge on the Steam before filling up a canister to overflowing. Thankfully, Rose had a second one on hand, catching the last few breaths produced by this painful session. 

The girl was still alive, clinging on to some last remains of hope that she could survive this. Rose would let her for a time. She was skilled at keeping captive steamers alive for as long as she wished. And this girl could, with careful handling, get her three full canisters at least. 

The girls hair and face were matted with blood from their session, her arms dragged painfully upwards, secured to the tree branch above her by the handcuffs Rose had stolen, the metal biting into the soft skin of her wrists, producing a constant agony which helped ripen the Steam.

Stepping back and grabbing a cloth, Rose wiped down her knife and slid it back into the holster at her belt. Once done, she scrubbed absentmindedly at the blood on her hands. 

If only this Steamer had been located earlier, she thought. A wave of sorrow washed over her, remembering her family and their needless deaths. Their starvation, Grandpa Flick, cycling out, all for nothing. 

Rose shook her head. What a waste. 

Dropping the cloth to the ground, she reached up, patting the barely conscious girl on the cheek. 

“Don’t go anywhere sweet thing. I still have use for you.” She said, ignoring the choked sob from the girl. Turning away, she straightened her black hat. It wasn’t her usual hat, that had been lost at the damned hotel when her Thorn had unleashed the Spectre’s on her. Neat trick on his part, keeping all those things locked up inside his Maze. A pity for him, it hadn’t worked. 

She looked over her shoulder at her captive.

In the old days, back when Steam was plentiful, this girl would have made a good candidate for the True Knot. A Feeler was a fairly uncommon ability, able to sniff out traumas and heal or exaggerate them at a whim. No wonder the girl had turned to medicine. She would be fantastic at it. But for the True Knots purposes, It was not an overly useful skill unless you knew what you were doing, and Rose did. 

But then again, Rose knew the Knots own rules. You did not Turn more than one at a time. Don’t make the new baby jealous. 

And this girl had nothing on her clever boy. 

Smiling, Rose grabbed the canisters from where she had placed them on the ground and made her way through the forest to the campsite, hidden among the trees.

Her campsite was smaller than she was used to, hidden away from any prying eyes of the local population. After her family’s deaths, she hadn’t the resources to move all the caravans, instead leaving them behind in Iowa, only taking hers to follow her whale. 

The campsite was a remote one, just over the border from Colorado in Utah. The True Knot had owned this campsite for decades. It was one of their outposts in years gone by, an old abandoned Church on the edge of the property a useful place to plan.

Thinking back, Rose could remember visiting this place many times with her family, of the caravans crowded around in a tight circle, of the parties, the celebrations, the orgy’s which had taken place on these grounds and in the church. She liked it here. If nothing upset the balance, she thought she and Dan might stay a while, get to really know each other here. 

Walking towards the barbeque she had previously set up, she carefully placed the canisters down before grabbing a spatula. 

She didn’t really need to eat, the desire for Steam filling her better than any meal could, but it was a nice indulgence from time to time. Plus, newly turned, Dan would not have learnt how to tempt his cravings. No doubt he would enjoy a nice burger. 

She had placed the beef patties on the grill before beginning her session with the girl. Intermittently, when the girl was too loud or in too much of a panic, Rose would return to the barbeque for a little while. Suspense made everything more potent, even Steam. 

Now, the burgers were ready, looking fine on their buns with cheese and salad. 

Placing the last burger on the plate, Rose felt a sudden niggle at the back of her mind. She looked up, trying to zero in on the feeling for a moment before her eyes were drawn to her caravan. She smiled, placing the spatula down and picking up the plate. She strode towards the caravan, grabbing a canister as she passed. 

Softly, she sang an old Irish ditty from her childhood.

Juggling the plate and the canister, Rose managed to open the door, pushing it open with her shoulder as she strode up the stairs and into the comfy interior. 

Placing the plate down on the side table, she glanced over at the bed and at the man lying there, seemingly in a peaceful slumber. She smirked. 

Danny didn’t seem to understand the connection which now existed between him and herself. For starters, she wasn’t fooled by faking sleep, even if he did look like an angel while doing it. No, he was as wide awake as she was. Still, the anticipation was worth it. Let him stay in his false security for a little longer. 

Walking to the cupboard, Rose opened the special compartment where she kept the Steam Canisters, placing the full one on the top shelf before closing it. They would need it later. Then she turned back and retrieved the plate before striding over to the bed, kicking off her boots and climbing onto the mattress beside her newest family member. 

She smirked at the involuntary shudder he was unable to stop completely.

Tucking her ankle under her leg, she balanced the plate on her lap and selected a burger. 

“You know.” Rose said conversationally, studying the burger for a moment. “I’ve seen a lot of abilities in my time. When you live as long as I have, you tend to see repeats.”

She took a small bite of the burger, savouring the meaty taste. After a second, she continued. 

“Pushers, Travellers, Feelers, Creators, Believers…. After a while, it’s the same face, the same talents. Just an endless cycle of the same. It gets so boring. The only thing that ever changes is the power.”

She took another bite, watching Dan’s expression. Despite his attempts to pretend otherwise, she could tell he was listening. Still faking sleep, but hanging onto her words. He couldn’t help it. It was the survival instincts of their kind, newly turned, to listen to their creator. 

“But you…. I’ve yet to see something like you. In fact, I wasn’t sure what to call you.”

She looked thoughtfully at the man for a moment. 

“Seer would be the obvious one, I guess.” She shrugged. A piece of tomato slipped out from the burger. Rose picked it up and put it in her mouth, chewing on it for a few moments before swallowing. 

“No. That’s not quiet right. You see what is there yes. But its more then that. You hurt them. You terrify them. And yet you draw them out. You’re a trap, wrapped in a pretty face.”  
She thought for a moment. 

“Yes. That works. A Trap. Not many people escape you, do they? Those creatures in your head, all drawn to you like a moth to a candle. That friend of yours, so trusting up to the point where he put a bullet in his own brain. The girl….” Rose paused for a moment. 

“You thought she got her claws into you, hooked you into her story. A little side character to her grand quest. Hate to break it to you handsome but it was the other way around. She got into your orbit and hasn’t been able to escape since.”

The burger was half eaten now. Careful not to spill anymore, Rose placed it back on the plate and shifted the plate off her lap. 

“You are powerful too. I admit, I didn’t see you coming.”

She smiled.

“You almost got me. But the thing about traps are, once you see them, it is easy to avoid them. And even easier to re-purpose them to suit your own needs.”

Placing her hands at her side, she pushed her foot against Dan’s chest, giving him a push. Even though he had managed to keep still, to keep up the illusion of sleep, she could feel his rage at her words, building up to a breaking point. 

“And you’re going to be my trap now.” She said. 

Dan shot up, rolling onto his knees towards her, fist ready and flying towards her head with all the force he could muster. The fist stopped, a hairs width from the brim of her hat. 

Rose grinned as Dan looked in shock at his raised fist, stopped mid-swing by an unknown force. 

“My, what a temper.” Rose added, looking at her boy’s face. She lent back a little, looking at the fist by her face before reaching up with a finger and pushing it down. Dan unwillingly obeyed. 

“What have you done to me?” He asked through gritted teeth, still trying to attack her, his whole body shaking with effort.

“Oh, nothing important sweetie. Just a little suggestion placed in your mind.” Rose continued. “Its Survival instincts, I’m afraid. After all, it wouldn’t do to alienate your maker. By our standards, you are still a baby. I’m the only one who can protect you right now.”

“Go to hell!” Dan spat at her. Rose could see both his hands clenched into fists at his side. They were shaking. Rose laughed. 

“Oh my. Such passion.” She said, smiling. “What fun.” She reached up and placed a hand on Dan’s chest. He went to push her hand away but once again, the suggestion stopped him from grabbing her with violence on his mind. 

“Now. There are two options for you, Danny.” Rose stated. She rubbed her hand along his chest, feeling the strong muscles there. “You can fight me. It will be fun for me, painful for you and in the end, you will lose. Or you could join me. Stand at my side, the Thorn to my Rose. Eat well, Live long. And I will even leave your little friend alone.”

Dan looked down at Rose’s hand on his chest for a moment. He knew he couldn’t lash out, despite what every part of his being screaming at him to do just that. The suggestion wouldn’t let him. But he couldn’t just roll over. 

“You forgot one option.” Dan said. He looked up from the hand, meeting Rose’s eyes. 

“Oh?” Rose asked. 

“Yes. Run.” Dan spat. 

He sprung up from the bed, bare feet hitting the floor hard but he didn’t allow himself to fall, springing towards the door which opened as he reached it. Jumping down the stairs, Dan ignored the sharp rocks cutting into his feet, the chilly air hitting his body, still dressed in only the light hospital scrubs. 

There was a car parked near the caravan, at the start of what looked to be a road. Without hesitating, Dan turned in that direction, pushing himself into a sprint as he looked for an escape. Get to the car, get the hell away from Rose and figure out what to do. That was his plan. 

He had just reached the car when a force threw him backwards. His head and back colliding with the ground. He couldn’t stop the shout of pain and surprise as he struck the ground hard. 

After a moment, he rolled onto his front and raised himself to his knees, gasping for air. 

Footsteps drew near. Dan looked up to see Rose walking towards him. She was also barefoot, seemingly oblivious to the sharp rocks underfoot. 

Reaching him, she knelt again. 

“You get points for trying.” She said, reaching up to grab his chin with inhuman strength. “But you weren’t paying attention Danny. You belong to me now. We are connected. If I don’t want you leaving my sight, you will not be leaving my sight.”

She paused, studying Dan for a moment. Then she shrugged. 

“I guess I will just have to teach you your place.” Her eyes started to glow as she moved his chin, forcing him to look at her. Immediately, he could feel a connection, so like when he had jumped into Abra’s head, taking control of her body and feeding his Shine through her but at the same time, so different. 

He could feel Rose, could feel her anger. And her lust. It washed over him, as if it was his own until he couldn't tell anymore. He didn’t register as she pushed him onto his back on the cold, hard ground, throwing a leg over him, her hands travelling to his pants, grabbing the scrubs and forcing them down over his hips. 

He couldn’t feel anything at all as he gazed into her eyes. And then he could feel everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I really have to admit, I am flying by the seat of my pants with this story. I have a vague game plan for where I want it to end up but no solid story. Hence why it is getting weird. 
> 
> Also, this chapter was more to sound out Dan and Rose's interaction. They actually got very little screen time together in the movie which is my main source (I would estimate less then 5 minutes, and most of that was Rose talking at Dan and Dan not really replying. There is more in the book which does include a very predatory sexual encounter with Rose in Dan's mind, Seriously creepy stuff) considering they were the main leads, so figuring out how they would interact is not easy. Hopefully this still seems to keep them in character.


	6. The Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan has to deal with the fallout of what just happened. An unwanted Spectra makes an appearance and Abra begins her frantic search, hampered by Rose's arrival.

Dan didn’t know how long he drifted after it was all over. Certainly, long enough for Rose to drag him off the ground and onto a deck chair in the middle of the small camp site she had set up. It was there, where he finally came back to himself. 

He had had sex before. Lots of times. Mostly when drunk or high but occasionally while sober. Once or twice, he even felt love like there was a connection, not just the physical, with his partner. 

It had never felt like that before. 

The pleasure was unlike anything he had ever felt, more addictive then the best liquor. He had felt Rose under his skin and knew that she had felt the same, that he had gotten under her skin. Like the name Rose called her group, the True Knot, Dan had felt tied to her, his Shining tangled with hers. It had been the most intense thing he had ever felt in his long life.

Slowly, he had come back to himself. Despite the violence of the act and the hard ground, the sharp rocks which had dug into him when Rose had climbed on top of him, holding him down and controlling his movements, he had no scratches or marks of any kind. No evidence except the memory. And the shame. 

His mind clearing, Dan couldn’t stop the wave of nausea as the memory of the pleasure disappeared and with horrifying clarity, he realised what had happened. He had been raped.

Climbing off the deck chair, Dan emptied his stomach onto the ground. There wasn’t much. Dan hadn’t had a real meal in days, not since he had finally reached out to Abra, agreeing to try and find her Baseball Boy. 

Sure there had been snacks, grabbed on the road as he and Billy travelled to Iowa and later, he and Abra fled to Colorado, but nothing substantial. 

Still, Dan found himself choking up bile. 

After a few more dry heaves, Dan managed to force back the nausea. Slowly, he raised his head to look around. As if predicting his sickness, someone had left a burger balanced on the plate next to the deck chair. 

Dan looked at it sceptically, even as he became aware of his now empty stomach. He didn’t think Rose planned to poison him after all the effort she had gone to bringing him here, but he wasn’t willing to risk it. 

Lowing his head, Dan tried to shake off the ghosts of the nausea and shame and self-hatred at having let this happen to him. Balling up his fists, he pressed them against his eyes. 

"It' not your fault." He muttered to himself, hoping that if he said the words, he might just believe them. "It's not your fault."

He looked up again and almost fell over. 

There was a figure sitting on the edge of the deck chair where moments before, he had lain, its back to Dan. It was a male, wearing a tan coloured hat and tan jacket.

“I guess my warning meant nothing to you friend.” The man said, not looking at Dan. Dan recognised that voice. Remembered the fear coming off Abra in this man’s presence after her capture, when she was drugged and unable to fight back and Dan had been riding shotgun in her mind. Crow Daddy. 

Reaching into the maze of his mind, Dan withdrew a box, unlocking and opening it. 

“Arrogance is arrogance. True words, those. I guess your own arrogance got you, just as mine got me.” Crow Daddy continued, still looking away. Dan could see he was fidgeting with something in his hands, his body blocking it from Dan’s view.

“I warned you. When Rosie gets angry….” The Spectre petered off, shaking his head. 

Cautiously, Dan stepped closer, prepping to trap the Spectra. 

“Shoulda sat this one out.” The Crow continued. He turned his head, looking towards the caravan. Dan followed his gaze. 

Up on the top of the caravan, he could see Rose the Hat sitting cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees, her eyes closed. She didn’t seem to have registered the Crow’s arrival; her body relaxed, her mind in a trance. 

“Why are you here?” Dan found himself asking, turning back to face the Crow. 

Crow Daddy shrugged. 

“I guess, I wanted to see what she was going to do to you.” Crow said, raising the object in his hand. It was a hunting knife, wickedly sharp. Dan could see it flashing in the light. 

“I’m torn really.” Crow continued, running a thumb across the blade, eyes still fixed on Rose. “Part of me wants to leave you here, to watch as Rosie breaks you, and she will. She will hurt you, make you wish for death. And you will never get it. I can have a front row seat to your pain.”

Finally, Crow Daddy turned to face Dan. 

“But the other part…. Well, you killed me. Even twisted the knife by taking my place here, didn’t ya? With my Rosie. I guess I wanted to finally see your face, your true face before I repaid the favour. You understand, right?” 

Crow Daddy smiled. It was a nasty smile. In a flash, he was standing in front of Dan, knife raised to Dan’s throat. Dan pulled out the box. In a second, Crow Daddy’s grin disappeared, the Spectra realising that something was very wrong but Dan was quicker, springing the trap.

He felt, more then saw as Crow Daddy was sucked into the box, the lid slamming shut. The lock gave a final click, sealing the Spectra inside. Dan could feel Crow Daddy’s rage from inside, the Spectra trying to escape. The box rocked from the force. 

Closing his eyes, Dan grimaced as he dragged the box into the dark corner of the maze where once, dozens of similar boxes had rested. 

Placing it in the snow, he turned his back on it, leaving it to be forgotten.

Opening his eyes, Dan allowed himself to sag onto the deck chair. 

“Right.” He muttered to himself. “One down.”

\------

Abra was back in her room in the rented apartment, her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Her eyes were closed as she desperately searched for Uncle Dan, trying to find some link to him like Dick had told her to do. 

Dick had told her that the connection was still there but all Abra could feel was empty space where the old, familiar connection had once been. It was like he had switched channels on her and she couldn’t pick him up again. 

“Come on, Uncle Dan.” She muttered. “Come on! Please. Please answer. Please.”

Desperately, she listened, trying to find some hint of him, shifting through the channels that was the radio of her mind, trying to pick up his signal. 

“You won’t find him.” A voice said. 

Abra opened her eyes. Standing by her bed, was the nightmare woman herself, Rose the Hat. She was see-through, exactly like when Abra had faced her on the road after escaping the Crow. Abra could see the cream walls through her body. 

Quickly, she tried to throw up her mental walls, to push the woman out as she had done before but Rose just grinned. 

“Well…Hi there.” She muttered mockingly, as Abra fell backwards, almost falling off the bed. 

“Where is he?” Abra demanded, jumping to her feet, putting the bed between herself and the woman.

“Where is who?” Rose asked in a mocking tone. “I know many people. You have to specify.” 

Abra glared at her. Rose laughed. 

“Oh. You mean my Thorn.” She added. “He’s fine. Better than he ever was before. You know, in a way, I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t decided to fight us, I might never have found him. Never have brought him into the True Knot where he truly belongs. I guess you could say, you gave your dear Uncle Dan to me.”

Abra felt her eyes water but she refused to cry in front of this woman. 

“How many did you sacrifice to try and avoid me, huh?” Rose continued. “Your father. That nice man Billy. And now Uncle Dan. So many lives lost. All because of you.”

Rose’s words were like barbs, cutting into Abra. 

“I will end you, bitch.” The girl spat at her. 

“Oh sweetie. You can try.” Rose said. “But I don’t think you have the balls.”

Rose turned, scanning the bare room. Thankfully, there were no distinguishing markings. Nothing to help her find Abra. 

“Or maybe you do.” Rose added, looking over her shoulder at Abra. “You certainly proved your sadistic streak back there, in your Uncle Dan’s mind. I guess, when you are not in your own mind, it’s a bit easier to embrace the darkness.”

Abra’s hands clenched into fists. 

“Get out!” She spat. 

Rose placed her hand against her chest face twisting into a mock look of surprise. 

“And to think, I was planning to help you.” She said. “Bring your Uncle back. When he is ready, of course.”

“Ready?” Abra found herself asking, despite already having an idea of what she meant. 

“Ready to see you.” Rose stepped back to the bed, leaning forward. Despite herself, Abra found herself leaning back. Suddenly, she pushed herself forward, spitting at Rose. The drops of saliva sailed through the air, flying though the ghost like figure before hitting the floor but the insult was evident. Rose’s face morphed into one of anger.

“I told you, I would make you scream for years, you little bitch!” She hissed. “And the next time you see your Uncle Dan, he will be standing by my side for every second of it. You will scream for him and he will look down on you as if you are nothing. He will not even recognise you.”

Abra found herself unable to speak, unable to process the words. 

Unable to do anything else, she raised her hands to her ears, covering them and closing her eyes. 

“Please Uncle Dan, please, please, please.” She chanted to herself. 

Above her, Rose laughed. 

“Get out!” Abra ordered. “GET OUT!” 

Lashing out, she tried to strike the woman, her fist going through the woman’s chest. Rose dissolved into nothing, disappearing from sight but Abra could still hear her laughter. 

Slumping to the ground, Abra pressed her hands back to her ears, trying to block out the noise, chanting over and over. 

“Please Uncle Dan. Please.”

\------

Rose’s consciousness returned to her body slowly, a gentle awakening compared to some of her more recent returns to her body. 

Keeping her eyes closed, she rolled her shoulders and sighed, working the slight stiffness out of her muscles, a familiar feeling caused by long periods of motionless during her trances.

She had been very productive. Firstly, she had reached out to some of her allies, her True Knot family overseas. She hadn’t been lying to Dan when she told him she wasn’t the last. There were dozens, if not hundreds of members of the family, all over the world. He family had simply been the American branch. 

Since her family had almost been wiped out, it was her duty, as the surviving head of the family, that she call a few members of the family overseas to come and assist her in reforming and recruiting, bringing the True Knot back to glory in America. Her Thorn was going to require all her attention for the foreseeable future, and she didn’t want something as trivial as recruiting, getting between them. 

A few of them had expressed interest in the change of scenery. There would be plenty of politics, the heads of each family needing to decide who would go and who would stay, before Rose would hear back but she was optimistic that within a few weeks, the True Knot would be back in power.

She had also bragged about her Thorn. None of the other heads had ever heard of his abilities and were marvelling over his impressive feat, hiding from them for so long. Rose had shared a few images of the confrontation at the hotel, how her Thorn had sprung his trap for her. She had explained his refusal of the Turn and her decision to press forward with it anyway, regardless. The True Knot rarely Turned someone against their will. To do so was to court trouble and bring a rebellious element into the family. But when someone that impressive appeared, the rules tended to get ignored. 

The other heads, far from sanctioning her for her actions, had applauded her for her work, several expressing wishes to find someone similar for themselves or to meet her Thorn. Rose predicted; she would not have long to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

After, she had indulged herself in tormenting the little bitch who had destroyed her family. 

The girl had gone to ground, Rose having trouble pinpointing her location, but it didn’t matter. She may not be able to locate the brat’s physical body right now, but her mind was wide open, awash with torment and glowing like a beacon. 

The girl was mourning, frantically searching for her lost Uncle and panicking. It was intoxicating, almost as good as the Steam the girl could produce. 

But the girl and her Steam mattered little right now. With most of her family gone, the need for Steam was significantly less. To feed 2 people required far less effort then to feed a large group. Between herself and her Thorn, a full canister could tide them over for a year. The Steamer trapped in the woods near the campsite would more then cover them for the foreseeable future. 

Plus, Rose was willing to wait, to give the girl a rest period while she focused on moulding her Thorn. Then, when the bitch least expected it, Rose would be back for her. 

With a sigh, Rose opened her eyes. Looking down from her Watch Tower, she quickly spotted her Thorn. Dan was sitting on the deck chair she had placed him on after she had consummated their connection, looking off into the woods. He was facing away from her, clearly contemplating his surroundings, no doubt trying to figure out a way to escape. 

In fact, she wanted him to. She wanted his fight, yearned for it even. Even when they fucked, she could feel the fight in him, his aggression towards her. How he longed to wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze. 

It had been exhilarating. It always was, fresh after a Turning. Most of her lovers tended to treat her like a goddess, gentle, letting her take charge. But when she had pulled him in, he had fought her at every step. Even when he had been passive in his movements, almost unaware of his surroundings, she had felt that tiny part of him which had fought her for control. And that mind. Even when he was seemingly unaware of his surroundings, he had been guarding it. He had thrown up so many walls against her, placed so many twists and turns in his Maze to keep her out. 

Normally, during these sessions, Rose would slip into her partners minds, find everything about them, their fears, their hopes, their pasts. Everything she could use to control them, make them hers. But with little Danny, all she had found were endless cold maze walls. He was still keeping her out. 

He had secrets, her boy. Well guarded ones. Rose looked forwards to drawing them out of him.

As if aware of her eyes on him, Dan suddenly stood up, striding off to the edge of the campsite with purpose. As he put distance between them, Rose saw him slow his movements, feeling his way. He was testing the boundaries, trying to guess how far he could go before the suggestion she had placed yanked him back like an invisible chain.

Once he could move no further away, he turned and started circling the site. Rose watched him as he mapped out the area. He paused briefly as he arrived at the dirt track which led up to the decaying church, looking over at the building but didn’t make any move the follow the road, instead continuing his trek around the campsite. 

At an unassuming group of trees, he paused again, looking into the woods. It was the direction of Rose’s hidden place, where the Steamer was being kept captive. No doubt he could feel her presence but there was little he could do about it now, trapped in his cage. 

Rose smiled as a thought struck her. 

Maybe it was time to take her Thorn out for a walk. To show him the reality of his new life and what it meant to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have just started night shifts at work. This chapter was actually written on my phone between jobs and while very sleep deprived so there will probably be a few more mistakes then normal. I apologise for that. 
> 
> Also I wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone who has read this, subscribed, given kudos and/or commented. I am glad so many people seem to be enjoying what my messed up imagination is producing. Seriously, I need to stop hurting Dan. The poor boy has been through enough (she says as she writes the next chapter which will have more troubles for our boy)


	7. The Figure in Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose forces Dan's hand but a new and unexpected figure is on the scene. 
> 
> Warning - Redrum! Graphic violence. I am not kidding here.

Dan walked around the back of Rose’s car, one hand raised, stretching out towards the forest, pushing ever so slightly. The suggestion stuck in his mind was like a physical barrier impenetrable and huge. Dan could almost feel it when he pushed his hand ever so slightly forward. An invisible prison wall and he was the prisoner. 

Sighing, Dan sat down behind the truck, just short of the mental wall. From here, he wouldn’t be visible to Rose where she sat on top of the caravan. At least for a few seconds, he could pretend he was free to leave. Leaning against the back of the truck, he rested his head against the metal and looked out into the forest. 

He felt so strange right now, still not right in his own skin. It was almost like how he used to feel after his first drink, back when he was at rock bottom, when he got tipsy but not yet drunk. Everything felt hyper focused, as if he could see the individual specks of dust on the air and yet it felt like everything had slowed down. 

His Shining too, felt off. The drugs from the hospital and the later trauma of whatever the hell Rose had done to him before he woke up were finally lifting and suddenly, he could feel his Shining again, but it was different now, more focused then it had ever been before. Stronger.

So used to supressing his abilities, pushing everything down, Dan now found he couldn’t. And yet, it wasn’t overwhelming like when he had deliberately unleashed it to find Abra or when he had used it to draw Rose into his mind, Abra jumping in to play the bait to his trap. 

Instead, it felt like the radio of his mind was on at full volume, but it was perfectly tuned. He could feel so many people inside his head, so many channels, picking up random snippets of peoples lives, an unknown observer to their worlds. And that was what was worrying him the most. He was picking up another person, one specifically, one louder than the rest. A girl. And she was in agony. 

Dan could feel that she was close. But she was weakening, drifting in and out of consciousness. And wherever she was, she was outside of his prison. He was helpless to save her.

Still, he had to try. Pushing everything aside, he tried to focus on the girl. 

‘Hey.’ He said in his mind, trying to reach her, trying to slip into her mind.

Immediately he was assaulted with an overwhelming feeling of pain and fear. It was so violent, it threw him backwards, out of her mind. 

Dan gasped as he opened his eyes, his head colliding with the back of the truck from the force of the push.

He winced at the pain of it, blinking as black spots danced across his vision. He raised his hand to feel at the back of his head. 

After a few seconds, the black spots started to fade from view and Dan blinked a few times, trying to speed up the process. 

A flash of red among the trees caught his eyes. Turing his head in that direction, Dan tried to focus on it.

In the distance, Dan thought he could see a figure standing in the forest. 

Lowering his hand from his head, Dan made to push himself to his feet, to try and get a better look at the figure. 

His hand touched something metal on the ground. 

Looking down, Dan raised his hand to see what he had touched. 

There was a coin on the ground, a small copper disk. 

Reaching down, Dan picked it up, flicking it over. It was an Alcoholics Anonymous chip. The number 8 was stamped into the middle. 

It was his chip, given to him by Billy shortly before everything had kicked off. Dan remembered standing in that room, among his friends, talking about his father and the demons of his past. He had carried it in his pocket throughout the whole ordeal, forgotten but still with him. 

Raising it up to get a closer look, Dan ran his thumb over the raised lettering of the chip. Looking up, Dan tried to find the figure again but there was no one there anymore. 

Closing his hand around the cold coin, Dan closed his eyes again, focusing on the comforting feel in his palm, the tangible proof of his power over his alcoholism. That he had managed to fight through one dangerous force in his life and that hopefully he could do it again. 

‘Danny?’

Dan opened his eyes again, looking towards the voice. He was no longer sitting against the truck in the middle of a forest. Instead, he sitting on the floor of a dimly lit room bedroom. He could feel the soft carpet under his feet, feel the wood of the closet he was leaning against. He looked ahead of him. There was a small bed in the middle of the room. A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from Dan. He was talking to a child who was seated in the bed, blankets pulled up. 

‘I wanna show you something Danny.’ The man said.

Dan slowly pushed himself to his feet, staring at the scene before him. The man reached into his pocket and pulled something out, handing it to the child. 

The child took the item, turning it in both hands. Stepping forward, Dan could see the boy run his thumb over the raised lettering. 

‘This Danny boy, is my five month chip.’ The man said proudly. ‘It’s a promise. To you and your mom. A promise that I can be better. You understand, don’t you Danny?’

The boy looked up from the chip in his hands and smiled at the man. 

‘Yes daddy.’ He replied, smiling at the man. 

Suddenly Dan found himself standing at the side of the bed, watching the back and forth between the child and the man. 

‘You mean so much to me son.’ The man said to the boy. ‘I promise. I will be better for you. I will write my book and I will play with you. We will have a great time….I love you Danny. Remember that.’

The boy turned and nodded before pushing the blanket back and climbing into the man’s arms. The man wrapped the boy in a hug.

“But you didn’t. You never got better.” Dan found himself muttering as he looked down at the scene before him. “I remember this. Mom was in the other room, packing to go to the Overlook Hotel. We left in the morning. You would never come back, never get better. It’s over for you.”

As if hearing the words, the man turned towards Dan, the child still wrapped in his arms. 

Dan looked down into the eyes of his father. And Jack Torrance looked back at him. 

‘It’s never over Danny.’ Jack replied, holding Dan’s gaze as he tightened his grip on young Danny. ‘Not as long as you keep fighting Son.’

Dan opened his eyes. He was still sitting in the dirt, his back pressed against the truck. He looked down at his clenched fist. He could still feel the chip in his hand. Then he looked up into the forest, trying to find the figure again. But Jack Torrance was gone.

“Well. Hi there.” A voice said above him. Dan refused to look up, knowing that Rose was standing over him. 

“Having fun handsome?” The woman asked. Dan continued to ignore her, not wanting to give her more power over him. 

Above him, Rose laughed, as if amused by his silent treatment. 

“Well, play times over. Get up. I have something for you.” She said, turning and walking away.  
Unwillingly, Dan found himself rising to his feet and walking around the truck, following the woman as she walked off into the forest. 

They walked for a few minutes in complete silence, Dan not interested in engaging with his captor anymore then he had to, and Rose amused at her boy’s silent tantrum. 

Finally, Rose stopped. 

“Tada!” She said, gesturing towards her surprise. 

Dan stopped, his eyes widening in horror as he looked at Rose’s captive. The woman was hanging from a tree by handcuffs, her face and clothes mattered with blood. She had been brutally tortured. Under the blood, Dan could see she was wearing a paramedics uniform. The woman was moaning softly, the only sign that she was still alive.

“Recognise her?” Rose asked. As Dan had stared in horror, she had walked around him, placing her hands on his shoulders as if to stop him from stepping back from the scene.

Dan couldn’t speak, frozen in horror. 

“You might remember this little Steamer as the girl who helped you outside that damned hotel.” Rose continued, leaning forward so she would speak softly in Dan’s ear. “She’s a Feeler. She can feel when someone is dying and can stop or speed it up. She felt you, up at that hotel. Like a bleeding heart, she came to you, stopped you from dying up there. Her mistake.” She reached up and placed a small kiss on Dan’s cheek. 

Finally, Dan managed to find his voice. 

“What have you done to her?” He asked in a shaky voice. His stomach rolled again and Dan was suddenly grateful he hadn’t eaten the burger. He didn’t think he would be able to hold it down if he had. 

“It’s her Steam, Handsome.” Rose explained. She let go of Dan’s shoulders and pushed past him, walking towards the woman. She drew something from her belt. A small knife. “Steam is our life, our food.”

She turned back to where Dan was frozen in place. 

“Unfortunately for her, the Steam has to be harvested. Through pain. Through fear.”

Suddenly Rose lashed out, burying the knife in the woman’s leg. The woman let out a chocked scream, her body convulsing. As she screamed, Dan could see a thick smoke, the Steam, pour out of her mouth. The same thing he saw back at the Hospice when he would sit with the dying, helping them go to sleep.

Rose lent forward; eyes closed as she inhaled the Steam. Then she turned and smiled at Dan, her eyes glowing blue. 

“Her pain, our lives.” She muttered. 

Dan felt his legs give way, sending him to the ground again. Rose moved forward, grabbing Dan’s arm. Unconsciously, he turned to look at her. Her glowing eyes were staring into his. Suddenly, she surged forward, pressing her lips to his, forcing Steam into his mouth. 

Dan couldn’t stop the moan as he tasted the Steam. It was exquisite, addictive. Dan found suddenly he was hungry. But not for food. For more Steam. Hs mind was clouded with the need for more. He was starving for it.

As suddenly as she had grabbed him, Rose let Dan go. Dan shuddered, his body craving more before his mind took over. No. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t. 

“You want more, don’t you?” Rose asked, watching the conflict on Dan’s face. She held up the knife. “Take it.”

Dan recoiled from her, immediately understanding her meaning but Rose just moved forward. 

“Do it. Take what you want. No consequences. No hangover. How long has it been since you have taken what you want Danny? How many years of self-denial? Self torture?” Rose asked, smile dancing on her face. She pressed the handle of the knife into Dan’s hand before grabbing him by the arm again and dragging him to his feet, guiding him to stand before the barely conscious woman. “All you need to do is take what you want.”

Dan found himself gripping the knife in one hand, his other hand squeezed tight around the AA chip, trying to find an anchor in this nightmare. Part of him was starving for more of the Steam. The other half was drawing back in horror. He looked at the woman. 

The woman’s eyes opened, staring at Dan, staring into his mind. A strange look of acceptance crossed her face. She knew she was going to die.

‘Please…’ he heard a weak voice say in his head. ‘Make it end.’ 

The woman looked pleadingly at Dan for another moment before closing her eyes, her head dropping to her chest. 

Dan could feel his breath coming faster, close to panic. He could feel Rose behind him, watching him, waiting to see what he would do. He knew that if he didn't do something, she would continue to torture the woman, would draw out her death for as long as she could. He couldn’t allow that. 

Remembering all the times he had sat with the dying, reaching into their minds to draw out comforting memories, helping them forget the pain, he reached forward, slipping into the woman’s mind. Once again, he was struck by the agony and fear from the woman but this time he was ready. Pushing through the pain, he searched in her mind, trying to find something to comfort her. 

One came to him. 

‘Remember your graduation. Standing on that stage, receiving your diploma. Your mom and dad were so proud. You had worked so hard and proved yourself to the whole world. You wanted to go into medicine. Use your gift to help people. And you did.’

The turmoil in the woman’s mind settled a bit as she clung to Dan’s words. 

‘You saved so many lives. So many people would not be here if it wasn’t for you. You have paid your dues and its time to rest. A peaceful sleep. No more pain. No more fear. Just rest.’

He felt the woman’s mind let go, her body relax, comforted by Dan’s words. Mentally, she was at peace. He just needed to help her take the last step. 

Dan was gripping the knife so hard, his hand was shaking. He knew he had to do this before he chickened out. If he didn’t Rose would bring the woman back, would continue to hurt her. Would not let her go until she was all dried up. Dan could not allow that. 

Lashing out, he buried the blade of the knife into the woman’s neck, hitting the brain stem. An instant death. A mercy compared to what could be. 

Blood poured out of the wound, splashing onto Dan’s hand and shirt. Finally, Dan lost his grip on the knife, his whole body falling backwards, away from the gruesome sight. 

‘Thank you’ a voice whispered in his head as he left the woman slip away, her heart stopping as she went to sleep. Steam began pouring from her mouth. Dan didn’t even register as Rose pushed forward, gasping at the Steam, trying to breath in as much as she could. Instead, he turned, breathing heavily, body shaking, eyes unseeing, mind screaming. He knew he was projecting his agony at what he had just been forced to do. 

‘Uncle Dan!’ a new voice screamed inside his head. Abra. She had found him. Maybe drawn by the woman’s death, maybe by his torment, Dan didn’t know.

No. She couldn’t watch this. Quickly, he tried to throw up his mental walls, hoping to stop her from seeing into his head, seeing what he had been forced to do. 

‘Get out!’ He screamed into the void. 

‘Where are you?’ Abra called back. ‘Uncle Dan, where are you?’

‘GO!’ Dan ordered, throwing Abra out of his mind. 

There was a sudden silence, the radio of his mind switching off. Dan allowed himself to sink into that silence, to fall for a short time, into a blissful stupor before he was brought back to reality by Rose walking up behind him, wrapping her arms around him from behind and leaning her head against his back. He could feel the brim of her hat digging into his neck.

“Well.” She stated, bloody hands hooking over his shoulders. “Wasn’t that interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this story is officially overwhelming. Honestly, I have no idea what I am even doing here but I know the next chapter is gonna be Dan finally fighting back. 
> 
> But at least I can get a bit of redemption for Jack Torrance. I am really interested in looking into him, given his role in the book. He wasn't a perfect man but in the book, he clearly loved Danny. 
> 
> And yes, Abra will be back shortly. The last few chapters have been focusing on Dan and his struggles but I promise, she is not forgotten.


	8. The Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose thinks she has broken Dan. Abra sees something she should never have had to witness and learns that Dan may no longer be human but what Dick warned her about. A monster.

Rose wasn’t sure how long she stood there, her front pressed to Dan’s back, her arms wrapped around him, holding him captive against her, a symbol of her control over him.

Internally, she was processing what she had seen. The harvest of Steam was a traditional part of joining the True Knot, one which Rose had guided many through in her years.  
Once Turned, it was supposed to symbolise the new members release from the confines of humanity, their acknowledgement that they were far above the pitiful beings surrounding them, their final break from the confines of life and acceptance of their place in the True Knot. The final test.

She had seen so many, caught in their first Steam frenzy, desperate for more. She vividly remembered Andi’s first harvest, when she had gone into an uncontrollable rage against the captive Steamer, tearing at him with knife and hands, ripping into him until there was nothing left. Like so many before her, she had followed the script, turning her back on humanity and all the pain and suffering, for something better.

All of them succumbed to the desire.

But Dan…..

He had fought that desire. Rose could see that, even has he had followed the tried and true path of execution, killing the Steamer with his own two hands as was tradition.

He had not gone into a frenzy, as was expected. No, instead of reaching for what he wanted, damn the rest, he had done something different. He had granted mercy to the Steamer.

It was a strange thought. Why grant mercy to those inferior to you? Did wolves grant mercy to sheep? No.

Yet this man which Rose had graced with Steam had done just that, the wolf had fought back desire to lessen the sheep’s suffering.

No one had ever done that before.

Just how powerful was her boy that he could beat down the frenzy?

Rose was starting to wonder. She knew he was powerful. Very much so. But the levels….

Rose had been searching for a whale. She had thought it was the little bitch girl. But now she was starting to wonder. Her boy was so repressed, so injured by his past which Rose had only managed to gain glimpses of, that he had managed to dim his light until it barely glowed but now, after his Turning, it was like the light was growing brighter and brighter with every passing moment, the Steam acting as fuel, igniting his flame. And Rose had no idea how bright it would get.

All that power. Now hers.

Finally letting the still figure go, Rose looked at the dead Steamer for a long moment.

They would need to dispose of the body, sooner rather than later. She was used to body disposal. It was an annoying, if needed part of her life. A shallow grave or a large fire, depending on how much time they had and how isolated they were. Better get it done rather than wait for the stink to set in.

Turning back to Dan who seemed to have become catatonic, she reached up and wiped a spot of blood off his cheek with her thumb before bringing it to her mouth, licking the liquid off.

“Don’t go anywhere sweet thing.” She ordered. She doubted he would try anything, but she wasn’t willing to risk her prize. “I will be back.”

Ignoring the biting metallic taste on her lips, she turned and started to make her way back to the campsite to collect some shovels.

\------

Abra was once again sitting on the bed, cross-legged with her eyes closed. She didn’t care what Rose said, she was not going to give up on Uncle Dan.

She was going to find him. She swore that she was going to bring him back. Bring him home.

Her mother had come into the room as soon as the confrontation had ended, drawn by her shouts as she thrust Rose out. Lucy had gone pale when Abra had told her what had happened, terrified that the women now knew where they were and was coming for them. Abra had tried to comfort her but the truth was, she had no idea how. Rose was insane and Abra had no idea if she would attack again, if she was still planning revenge against Abra or if she was really planning to wait, to turn Dan against her.

Her father was dead because of Rose the Hat. Her uncle Dan taken and Abra had no idea what Rose would do next.

Lucy hadn’t wasted a second, immediately heading off to look for a new hotel or motel they could move into. If Rose knew where the apartment was, if she was coming for them, Lucy Stone had no intention of being there when she arrived. She was going to do everything in her power to protect her daughter from the psychopath who was hunting them.

Abra, unable to comfort her mother, had let her go and turned back to the task at hand. Finding Dan.

Dick had told her she still had the connection to him, despite whatever Rose had done to him. So now she reached back into the void where it had once been, trying to locate it again.

It was hard. The familiar faint buzz of him, which she had felt at the back of her mind for as long as she could remember, was absent. It was an unpleasant feeling, like that of leaving a warm room and stepping into a snow storm.

Abra had never felt so alone.

Closing her eyes again, Abra tried to think of the connection, to reach out.

Something caught her attention. A faint buzzing. It was far away, difficult to lock on but it was there.

A wave of excitement washed over Abra. Had she finally found him? Bringing up her memories of the feeling of Dan’s Shining, she tried to match it to the faint buzz. It was similar but not so similar that Abra could confirm it was Dan. Where the feeling of Dan’s mind had been light, a gentle presence, this was darker. As Abra locked in on the feeling, she became more and more aware of the darkness, the anger, the pain.

For a moment, Abra hesitated. If it wasn’t Dan, whoever it was, was in great pain and fear. Abra was almost scared to continue, remembering Bradley, the Baseball Boy. Being shoved into his heads in his final moments of life.

But she had to, if it was Dan, she needed to push forward. And if it wasn’t, she might be able to help whoever it was.

Continuing to push forward, Abra felt a sudden rush, as she broke through the barrier and was flooded with images. Images of a girl. The owner of the mind Abra had been following. 

She was in so much pain, suspended from a tree by her wrists and bleeding heavily. The image changed and Abra could see that she was in a forest. There was a woman standing before the captured girl. Abra recognised the woman from her nightmares, Rose the Hat driving a knife into the girl’s leg, her eyes glowing that unnatural blue that Abra had learnt to fear. The image changed again and suddenly it wasn’t Rose but Uncle Dan standing before the girl. His face was pale, the bloodied knife in his hand. 

However, his eyes were glowing blue, the same as Roses had been. The same as the rest of those monsters eyes had glowed when they had murdered Baseball Boy.

‘Just rest’ Abra heard Dan say to the girl, using his Shining to comfort her, even as the glow in his eyes seemed to burn brighter, looking into the girls mind. Abra suddenly felt dread and was thankful when the image changed again.

The girl was dead. Abra could see Dan standing a way off from the body, his back to the horrific scene, looking distraught and covered in blood. He was staring out into the forest, unseeing.

Abra couldn’t contain herself.

‘Uncle Dan!’ she called. He looked up, straight at her. Abra was relieved his eyes had returned to normal, even as he looked horrified at her presence.

‘Get out!’ he ordered suddenly, all but screaming in his mind.

‘Where are you?’ Abra asked. She needed to find him. The girl was dead and Abra needed to know that Dan was safe. And if not, she needed to get him to safety before he was killed. ‘Uncle Dan, where are you?’

‘GO!’ The man screamed into the void, so sharp and sudden that Abra found herself thrust out again, landing back in her bedroom.

Dazed, she looked up at the white ceiling as she tried to piece together what she had seen. Rose torturing the woman, Dan standing before her, covered in blood, his eyes glowing like those monsters in the True Knot. 

Abra knew in her heart the truth. 

Dan.... was not human anymore. No, he was one of them. Like Rose and Crow and the others. He was changed. And he had killed. Was this what Dick had meant when he warned her that Dan would not be human? That he would be a monster? Could Abra live with the knowledge that Dan was one of those people? And could Dan live with knowing what he had done?

Slowly, Abra raised herself to sit on the bed, her mind working to process everything. 

“Uncle Dan, what have you done?” she asked aloud.

\------

Dan didn’t know how long he stood there after thrusting Abra out of his mind, covered in blood and in shock, before his legs finally gave out on him. He had killed someone. And not just because they were trying to kill him, like when he and Billy had set a trap for the True Knot. No, the girl had been harmless, helpless and Dan had shoved a knife into her neck and let her bleed out.

Dan knew subjectively that he had no choice. He had tried to give her mercy. Rose would have tortured het further, made her suffer and despite his hatred, Dan didn’t think he could take Rose head on to save the woman. That still didn’t make it sit right with Dan. It shouldn’t have happened this way. He should have found another way.

But no. He had given in, taken the easy way out. The longer he spent in Roses clutches, the more Dan hated what she was turning him into.

Still on his knees, Dan buried his face in his still clenched hands, hoping that somehow, he would be able to wake up and be back in the hospital, still injured but no longer trapped here and turned into God knows what. Or better yet, back in his apartment in Frazier, Billy just downstairs instead of dead in a national park somewhere, Abra safe in her home with her mom and dad.

Footsteps draw closer but Dan refused to look up, knowing that Rose would no doubt be looming over him with another evil task or plan for him. 

The footsteps stopped close to his side, as if the owner was standing in front of him. 

“Get up Danny boy. Get back on your feet.” A voice said. Not the female voice Dan had been expecting. Dropping his hands to his side, Dan looked up at the figure before him. The Spectre of Jack Torrance loomed over him, still in the red jacket and jeans Dan had last seen him wearing the day he died. 

Dan could remember that night vividly, running through the deep snow in the Overlook Maze, his mothers screams echoing in his mind, the shouts of his father behind him in the dark as he re-traced his steps and dove into the freezing ice, trying desperately to escape the creature wearing his fathers face. He remembered the very moment the creature walked past him, shouting incoherently into the storm, axe shining in the dim. 

Dan had long since come to terms with what had happened that night, his father’s possession by the Overlook. He knew that Jack Torrance had his demons, which the Overlook had played on, driving his father to the brink before it took control of him, forcing the man to hunt down his child with murderous intent. 

It had been Danny who had been the target of the Overlook, the Hotel wanting to feed off his Shining. Not his mom and not his dad. Him. And Dan had been too young and too scared of his abilities to fight back. He had been helpless, left to watching in terror as the Hotel had changed his father into a monster.

Like he was helpless now. Helpless against Rose and her manipulations. As she had said back in the Overlook, he was full of terror. All his life, it had controlled him. And it still did. 

“I can’t.” Dan found himself choking out, looking up at Jack. 

“You’re a Torrance, aren’t you?” Jack asked in that rough voice of his, almost a growl. To most, he would sound angry at Dan’s reply. “Torrance men get back on their feet.”

Dan found he couldn’t look at Jack anymore. He looked down at his clenched fist. 

“I’m scared.” Dan whispered. 

He felt rather than saw as Jack knelt down in front of him, the spectra bringing his face close to Dan’s, making Dan look into his eyes.

“Of course you are.” Jack replied, voice still gruff but a little softer now. The very voice he used to use when he put Dan to bed back with he was a small child. The voice he used when they had played together. The spectra reached out and grabbed Dan’s wrist, a surprisingly solid weight for a ghost. “You have every right to be. That bitch is terrifying. She won’t stop. So you have to stop her. You have to do it now.”

Dan shook his head in denial but Jack pressed on. 

“You can do this Doc. You’re a Torrance and you are powerful. The Hotel couldn’t take you and she won’t either.”

Jack held his free hand out, palm up. With his other hand, he raised Dan’s fist until his open palm was cupped under it. 

“And I’m not leaving you. Not this time son.”

Dan found himself opening his fist, the 8 Year Chip dropping into Jack’s open hand. Jack pressed his hand upwards, gripping Dan’s open hand in his own, the chip sandwiched between their palms. 

“I won’t abandon you this time Danny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter. Sorry about that. Hopefully the next chapter will see more action. 
> 
> And sorry for taking so long to get this chapter up. I have been working night shifts for the last 7 days and there is only so long you can do that before your brain turns to mush. I could not even remember what I was planning with this story until today.
> 
> Plus, I was not planning nearly as much of Jack Torrance being here but I kinda want to give him a redemption arc and well, he has a bit more of a part to play in this story which will hopefully be covered in the next chapter. 
> 
> And again, thank you to everyone who read, liked, left kudos or commented on this story. You are all amazing.


	9. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose learns more about her Thorns back story while Jack helps Dan with his escape.

Rose hummed to herself, smile painted on her lips as she strode through the trees, the old shovels clenched in her hands. It had been a successful day. After the trauma of the last few weeks, of the bitch girl taking them on, of losing her family, it was nice to know that the True Knot was going to survive and thrive again. Rose would always miss her family, but she had lived a long time and was practical enough to know that people passed and all she could do was continue living.

There was a nice, poetic justice in the fact that the man who had worked so hard to wipe them out was now the first of the new order of the True Knot. That he would now work towards bringing the Knot back. That Rose would get to watch it happen. 

He had been successfully turned, his final test was completed, and he was now bound to her for the rest of his life, his life tied to hers. And it was going to be a long life. Rose knew it was. She was going to make sure of it. 

She would train and guide him through it, and he was going to shine. 

The final test was completed. And despite her Thorn cutting the fun short, she had enough Steam from the Steamer stored to last for the foreseeable future. 

Now it was time to wear him down, to twist his way of thinking to match hers, to explore that vast maze which was his mind and unearth all his secrets. 

Of course, she hadn’t been foolish enough to Turn him blind. She had done her homework. 

Given how difficult it had been to penetrate his mind, she had been glad she had put the leg work in. 

It had been strange how little there was about him. Most people had some sort of trail, via social security, via the news, via their histories. But Dan Torrance seemed to not exist outside of a Birth Certificate from New Hampshire for a mother named Wendy and a father named Jack, and a CPS investigation when he was four when a broken arm. After the age of five Danny Torrance seemed to disappear. 

Very rarely, did anyone manage to escape the system unless they were drifters. Something Rose suspected her Thorn had been in his past. It certainly explained why the True Knot had never managed to find him. 

Ironically, it had taken her having to investigate that damned hotel before she found her Thorns big secret.

It seemed that someone or something had worked very hard to bury the history of the Overlook Hotel and its sudden closure and Rose could see why. Dan would have had to be five years old at the most when the incident had happened, when his father, in a blind, alcoholic rage, had tried to murder his wife and child inside that hotel. At least, that was the official story. Rose wasn’t stupid enough to believe that was all there was. 

She had felt the darkness in the building from the moment she arrived. It flooded out of the hotel, tainting the area. A strange place to try and hide from her, she had through at the time. 

Rose remembered her first meeting with her Thorn, him standing on the steps above her, telling her that she didn’t know where she was standing. He had known what was coming. And he only could have known that if he had lived it before. Survived it. 

He had been very familiar with those creatures in that hotel, so familiar that he even kept some inside his mind, captive, like guard dogs ready to be released. His trap for anyone caught snooping inside his mind without permission. 

The only error he had made was in thinking that those creatures wouldn’t turn on him. So caught up in turning on their captor, they hadn’t stopped to finish Rose off instead leaving her almost drained but still alive on the steps to go after him. Or maybe he had expected them to turn on him. Maybe he had planned it as a suicide. A way to end years of suffering, in the place where it all started for him. 

If so, he should have checked his work. Rose had survived. And he could bet that, had he not survived, not caught her attention, she would have gone after the little bitch. And he could have been powerless to stop her. 

Not that he had much power now. Rose wanted to keep the illusion of control in his hands, to keep him fighting her for as long as he could but she knew that sooner or later, he would break. The part of him that had been little Danny Torrance would die and all that was left would be her Thorn. Like a feral animal brought home for the first time, he would be house trained eventually. But until then, she would enjoy the fight. 

Arriving back in the clearing, Rose scanned the scene. The dead Steamer was still hanging where they had left her, knife still buried in her neck. Her Thorn was a little way away, kneeling in the dirt with his back facing the scene. Probably overwhelmed by everything. Walking over, Rose dropped a shovel down beside him. He didn’t even flinch. 

Turning, Rose placed her own shovel against a tree and walked over to the body. Fishing the keys out from her pocket, Rose stood on her tiptoes to reach the handcuffs, opening them. The body dropped to the ground, Rose quickly retrieving the knife, cleaning it on her sleeve and slipping it back into her belt. She then grabbed her shovel. 

There was a patch of dirt which would do, soft enough to dig a shallow grave quickly and efficiently. She turned to Dan who hadn’t moved. She strode over to him, kicking his leg gentle to gain his attention. His head moved slightly, inclined towards her but he didn’t look at her. 

“Up you get handsome.” She ordered. “Time to work.”

She turned, about to head to the patch of dirt to begin, sure that Dan would follow her lead. The snort took her unaware, a gruff laugh from the man. 

“Time to work…” Dan repeated, a dark laugh concluding the sentence. He took a deep breath before continuing. “We always work. For ever and ever. Work to provide. For the wife and child. But it’s never enough. Even in death, we get dragged back. To continue to work to protect them from the demons and bitches hunting them. Even protecting them from ourselves.”

The voice seemed to grow gruffer and more sinister as Dan continued to talk, a whispered echo as if two people were talking at once. Slowly as Rose stared, his hand reached out, grabbing the handle of the shovel. Shoving the blade of the shovel into the ground, he used the tool to push himself to his feet, his face still turned away from Rose. 

Rose had a feeling she wasn’t looking at her Thorn anymore. 

“Well…..” She paused for a moment, taking a hesitant step forward. She hadn’t seen this trick before. Wasn’t sure what her Trap was doing. “Hi there.” She finished.

Dan turned to face her. His eyes, instead of the dark blue she remembered, were a milky colour, the colour of a dead man’s eyes. Someone else was looking out from those eyes. 

“And who are you?” Rose asked. 

Dan, or at least the figure controlling Dan, smiled. It was a sinister smile, almost too wide. It was unnerving, even for someone like Rose. 

“I’m someone you shouldn’t cross.” The figure replied, still smiling that insane smile.

Rose raised an eyebrow in question. 

“Oh?” She asked. Slowly, she turned, keeping her eyes on the figure as she started to circle. It may be an unknown entity, but it was in her property and she was a shark. All she needed was an opening to force her way in. Once there was blood in the water, she would feed and whoever this was that Danny had allowed into his head would learn to regret meddling in her affairs. 

“Well, I hate to break it to you dear, but neither am I.” She smiled, trying to match the smile plastered across Dan’s face. Two alphas, sizing each other up, ready to pounce. “And you are in my property.”

The smile faded from Dan’s face, the figure controlling him watching her carefully. 

“You dare call my boy your property?” It growled out. 

“Your boy?” Rose asked. “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry to tell you that he’s mine. Whatever you are, you are far, far too late.”

She scanned him again, staring deep into those milky eyes. There was a feeling radiating off her Thorn, so like the feeling she had back in that hotel. She tiled her head in contemplation. 

“You are from that place.” She said in a soft voice. “One of the ghosts of that hotel. How interesting.”

She turned as if to shrug off the creature watching her, to show her lack of fear in it. A calculated move of disinterest, to show the creature she was not threatened by it. 

“You’re a long way from home. A long way from safety.” She said over her shoulder, a parting shot at the thing to show its vulnerability. She wasn't worried. The spectres hadn't gotten her before and there was only one this time.

She didn’t realise the mistake she had made, turning her back on the figure controlling her Thorn. The suggestions she had planted in Dan’s head to stop him attacking her did not apply to anyone else inside his head. The figure was not bound by the same rules. And it was angry. 

The figure raised the shovel quickly, swinging it around in a wide circle. It collided heavily with Rose’s head, sending her flying to the ground in a crumpled heap, blood spurting from her temple. She was out cold before she hit the ground. 

“Bitch, my home is with my son.” Jack Torrance spat out, gripping the shovel tightly. After a few seconds, he dropped the shovel to the ground and stepped back, scanning the scene. 

Jack had been watching for a while now, keeping track of Doc from the moment his boy had stepped back into the Overlook after so many years. 

For so many years, Jack had been trapped in that place, alone and starving. While the other spectres had escaped their prison, to hunt down Jack’s child, Jack had refused to follow. He had loved his son dearly, despite everything and knew that to follow him would place his boy at risk. From the others and from himself. 

He had fully expected to spend forever walking the silent halls of the Overlook, trapped in his thoughts, reliving his memories of his wife and son, of happier times. Until a hunted man had run straight through the front door and awoken everything. 

Jack hadn’t had to guess who it was. Danny Torrance had grown so much but Jack could still see the scared little boy he had been, now grown into a man who had seen too much, lived through so much pain. And the long buried parental instincts had kicked in. 

He had watched as Doc had spoken to the Overlook, the damned place using Jack’s own face to torment his son. Jack had wanted to step in, to defend Doc but the Overlook was older and stronger than he was. Jack knew he didn’t stand a chance, locked to the place as he had been. 

And then, Danny had pulled off a miracle. Defeated the hotel and burned that place to the ground. Jack had gone to the boiler room, watching as Doc had fought the Overlook to the very last, stopping the creature from saving itself. He had stayed in the corner, watching as Wendy had arrived to greet their child. 

Still, Jack hadn’t joined them. He didn’t know how either would react to seeing him again, the man who had caused them so much pain.

Then the girl had arrived, trying to rescue Doc and Jack had felt hope anew. Doc was weakening, barely hanging onto life but Jack was not going to give up on him, now that he knew there was a way out, pushing Danny to stand, to walk out of that place and to safely. Jack had followed them out, lending his own strength to the girl who was saving his son. Once they were safe, Jack had withdrawn, intending to go back to the Overlook, to finally rest but something had stopped him. A feeling that it wasn’t finished. 

As he had looked across the snow-covered ground as paramedic’s, police and firemen had worked, he had seen a dark figure standing silently, watching him. 

Dick Hallorann had nodded to Jack Torrance, acknowledging his final act for the child they both loved. Jack had nodded back, thankful for all Dick had done to protect Doc from him during his crazy time. 

‘It’s not over.’ Dick had said softly. At that distance, Jack shouldn’t have heard the other man but he did. He had looked down at Doc, being loaded onto a stretcher by the paramedic’s, still hanging on despite the fatal injury. 

‘She’s gonna come for him.’ Dick added. Jack had looked up to the other spectre but he was already gone, fading out as if he had never been. 

From that moment, Jack had decided to follow Doc, to insure his child was safe until he could defend himself. 

He had lost track of Doc for a while before finally locating him again at this campsite. He had seen what that crazy bitch had done to his child and for the first time in a long time, Jack Torrance had become angry. 

He had forced his anger aside while talking to Doc, trying to encourage him to stand up to the woman. Until he realised that Danny couldn’t. The bitch had done something to him, stopping him from fighting back. So Jack had suggested the only thing he could think of, to help free his son. He would take control, letting Danny sink back into the deepest corner of his mind for safety as Jack dealt with the threat. He would stick to his promise, Danny would not be abandoned to face her. Not this time. 

Jack found it deeply satisfying, fighting back against the bitch, taking her down for his child. 

He didn’t know if she was dead, nor did he really care. Either way, she had learnt not to mess with the Torrance boys. 

Stepping over the fallen woman, Jack made his way back down to the campsite. 

The truck was still there where Jack had first seen Doc, his boy looking trapped and haunted. Walking over to the truck, Jack opened the door and looked inside. There was a faint pressure, he could feel in the back of his head, like something was trying to hold him there but Jack pushed it aside as he climbed into the cabin. Pushing down the visor, Jack couldn’t stop the grin as the car keys fell out. 

Grabbing them, Jack switched the ignition and switched the vehicle into reverse, turning the vehicle around before driving down a dirt track away from the campsite. 

The pressure in his head began to grow the further he got from the site but Jack gritted his teeth and ignored it. Doc was safe in his maze, away from this and hopefully not feeling the growing pressure. Jack just needed to push through it, to keep control of Docs body until it was over, to break the suggestion and get his boy away from this cursed place. 

The pressure grew more and more intense, almost blinding as the vehicle rolled onto a paved road, Jack only just managing to make the turn safely and keep the vehicle on the road as he accelerated, trying to put more distance between his son and that place. The pressure continued to grow. 

It became agonising, torturous as if his head was about to explode, Jack struggling through, wrestling to keep the vehicle on the road and the body not his own under his control. 

Suddenly, it stopped. Like a rubber band snapping, Jack felt the pressure disappear suddenly. He grunted and pulled the vehicle off the road, breathing heavily. The connection was broken. Danny was free.

After giving himself a moment to regain control, Jack closed his eyes, released his control of his sons body and let himself sink into the depths of his childs mind. He opened his eyes. He was standing in a maze, the green walls surrounding him, snow underfoot. A single set of footprints led away from Jack. Slowly, Jack stepped forward, following the footprints as they twisted and turned in the snow. 

After what felt like hours of walking, the maze opened up into a large area. Jack walked to the middle of the area and looked around, turning on his heels as he scanned the area. His eyes fell on a dark shape pressed up against the wall at the far corner. 

Slowly, Jack approached the shape. It was a man in dark clothing, curled up and sleeping in the snow. Jack lent down and saw the face of his son. 

Kneeling, Jack grabbed Danny’s shoulders and pulled him upwards, cradling his son in his arms. 

Resting Danny’s head against his shoulder, Jack wrapped his arms protectively around his son, something he hadn’t done since Doc had been a very small child. 

“It’s ok Doc.” Jack muttered into Danny’s hair. “It’s over now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its finally happened. Dan's escape. But its not over yet. 
> 
> Sorry again for taking so long with this chapter. I made the mistake of watching IT:2 (after that alternate scene hit the internet) which got me back into Reddie hell and well, it took a lot of time to get myself back into the right mind set for this story. Also, I re-watched the Shining to try and get Jack Torrance's voice into my head but it didn't really work. He's a hard character to write when he isn't insane. 
> 
> Once again, flying by the seat of my pants here (The only bit of this chapter I had set in stone was the possession and Jack hitting Rose with a shovel) and un-beta'd so I am sure there are a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. Sorry. 
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner then this one.

**Author's Note:**

> So yep, I am now writing Stephen King fanfiction. Oh well. At this point, this is based off the movie, both Doctor Sleep and The Shining but I will be trying to incorporate bits and pieces of the books into it as well. 
> 
> Everything is Unbeta'd at this point so all mistakes are my own, plus I was writing this at 1am, so its not great. Sorry. Hopefully I build up steam (lol) to continue this for a little while. I estimate maybe 3-4 chapters at this point, unless the plot bunny bites.


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